A Revelation

It never ceases to amaze me just how much is revealed to me when I'm sitting in the adoration chapel. Like yesterday, while sitting in chapel, three truths came to me that actually surprised me in a way that I didn't expect. Remarkably, I pulled out a tiny slip of paper and a pen and jotted them down lest I forget (like I would forget this?)

I NEED Jesus.

I CLING to Jesus.

Jesus SUSTAINS me.

Unless you know me well  you are probably saying to yourself yeah, I already know that about you. You splash your love for the guy all over social media. I can't get away from it! But, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I don't ask people for help. I'm incredibly private and stubborn and don't have the patience to wait for someone to do something for me; I'll just do it myself and get it done, or don't do it at all. I... DO... NOT... ASK... ANYONE.... FOR... ANYTHING. (If I do, trust me, it is killing me to ask.) Capeesh? Are you getting just how much of a mule I am? Look up stubborn in the dictionary; I'm pretty sure my face is there.


That's why I was so blown away when this realization hit me today. That paragraph I just wrote? Yeah, I'm private and stubborn and all that however, I'm kidding myself. Nobody is an island unto themselves. I could try to sell myself as this tough no-nonsense chick but the reality is that I bring EVERYTHING to Jesus, (Poor Jesus, I've become a stage-5 clinger), the good, the bad and the ugly. He knows me intrinsically and understands the why of things I do and don't do and he loves me anyway. I need that in my life. Everyone needs Him in their life. He IS that awesome. Just as Peter needed to hold His hand during the storm so he didn't drown, so do the rest of us need to hold onto Him in not only the storm but the smooth sailing as well. Jesus isn't some mythical being that was created purely for entertainment. He IS God and historical Jesus is the very much alive man that walked the earth centuries ago. He is with us now and all you need to do is reach out to Him. I assure you, He is always there for us. He told us so, "... I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Matthew 28:20 ASB

Yesterday's reading was the Sermon on the mount and the beautiful beatitudes.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure of heart,
for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Gospel of St. Matthew 5:3-10

When I was younger, that first Beatitude always confused me. I'm guessing it was either a difficult concept to grasp or maybe a comma could have helped.  I always took it to mean lacking in belief where it means the complete opposite. It is a humbling of yourself to God and placing yourself totally and completely into His hands. How exquisite.

Seek God. Seek Jesus. Seek the Holy Spirit. Immerse yourself in the saving power of their love. Find a quiet place, close your eyes, and just breath and listen. Better yet, find a perpetual adoration chapel in your area and just sit there for 15 minutes, half an hour, an hour. Bring a Bible, a rosary or any other prayer aid and turn off the cellphone and put it out of reach. God deserves your full attention. Give Him your worries, your fears, your illness, your sorrows, your joys, your thanks and open your heart. May we all be poor in spirit and rely totally and completely on God to lead us through this valley of tears. Can't find an adoration chapel? Go to a church, a park bench, your bedroom. God is everywhere.

Someone once said to me, "I wish I had your faith." Well, it's just like any other relationship. It has to be open, honest, nurtured, have mutual respect and has to include love and growth. If this old mule could learn to give it all up to God, well then so could anyone else who is truly searching for Him.

It's an incredible revelation to me that I'm not as tough as I think I am and I thank my best bud, Jesus, for always having my back. He's your best bud too, just ask Him for help.

Peace, Joy and love to you,

Mare

"You fill up my senses, like a night in the forest
like the mountain in spring time
like a walk in the rain
like a storm in the desert
like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses, come fill me again."
~ Annie's Song by John Denver

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>

 

You Know Not....

The Gospel reading for today reminds me of a joke I used to have hanging on the file cabinet near my desk (many years ago when I was still in banking). It showed a worker at a desk, with his feet up, doing a word search. His boss approached and said, "why aren't you working?" The worker replied, "I didn't see you coming." It still cracks me up when I think about it today all these years later and I'm smiling as I write this. 

Of course this just reminded me of another gem from my younger years, back when The Muppets were on t.v. in prime time. There was a skit where Kermit was in some kind of explosion and when his gomatta (yeah he was a gangster) showed up, and found him in the rubble, she said to him, "Oh Kermie, I thought you croaked." He replied something like I tried to but I couldn't. Ha! (I just love the play on words with the Muppets.) BTW the girlfriend was played by, I believe, Liza Minelli so it was said in such a pleasant sing-song type of voice with a bit of Brooklyn thrown in. Fabulous.

Seriously, though, we do not know the time nor the day ~ as it so eloquently points out in today's reading ~ on which the Lord will come. 

Gospel Mt 24:42-51

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: 
if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant,
whom the master has put in charge of his household
to distribute to them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.
Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’
and begins to beat his fellow servants,
and eat and drink with drunkards,
the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day
and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely
and assign him a place with the hypocrites,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”

I think some people just equate this to the last day, you know like period; the end of the world. The second coming of Christ. Well yes and no, it has to do with your own day as well.

In this year alone look at how many people have died suddenly, and without warning, around the world from either natural disasters or at the hands of others. Nobody expects that they are going to die today, or any day for that matter. We seem to be very good at pushing that reality far into our consciousness. It would be very difficult to function on a daily basis if we dwelt on that reality yet it is vitally important to be ready to meet with Jesus every day of our lives. The only way to do that is to live your life as closely to Him as you possibly can. Love one another, pray fervently and often, attend services, confess your sins and atone for them, read and study the teachings of God in the Bible, stop judging people. If you are a Catholic, receive the sacraments and receive them often.
Live a Christ-like life.

A wonderful prayer that we can say daily is the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. It is said daily at 3:00 P.M. for your own soul and for those that will die on that day. It is associated with being said in the midst of one that is dying. Jesus has promised that he will stand between that person and the fires of hell, but he will do that for ALL those that say this merciful prayer for themselves as well as those it is intended for. You can say it for people worldwide; I do, for those that will die during the week (when I'm at the adoration chapel on Sundays) and daily for those that will die over the course of the next 24 hours. It is so incredibly important to pray for others. After all, we want everyone to be in heaven.

Each and every day I want to say, "My soul is ready. Is your's...?"**

Who's with me?

Have a peaceful week.

Mare


**excerpted from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - "My soul is ready. Is your's, Doctor Jones?". Of course they own the copyright. 

The Divine Mercy Chaplet

I have been contemplating this prayer for a few weeks now and how powerful it is and the implications of saying it daily. I do try to say it daily, but let's face it, somedays I forget; somedays I am annoyed at something or someone and say eh, no, not praying today; and some I just have the best intentions but run out of steam and nod off in the middle of it. Most of the time I do say it, though, and it is part of my daily ritual just as taking a shower and having my morning cup of tea are.

A little history of the Divine Mercy Chaplet ~
From 1931 to 1938 Our Lord appeared to a Polish Sister by the name of Maria Faustina Kowalska.  Our Lord appeared to her many times during those years and told her of his Divine Mercy and that all should approach Him and ask Him for it. Anyone who approaches Him will be spared the fires of hell if they turn to Him during their life or at the moment of their death. The Chaplet is said to increase your own devotion to Christ and it is said in the presence of the dying so that He can be the just judge and grant them mercy at the moment of death. There are basically three things to remember about the chaplet:

1. You should ask for His Mercy. Jesus wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly.  He wants us to repent of our sins and ask Him to pour His mercy out upon us and upon the whole world. 
2. You should be merciful to others. Jesus wants us to receive His mercy. He wants us to extend our love and mercy to others, through forgiveness, just as He does for us. 
3. You should have complete trust in Jesus. Jesus wants us to know that the graces of His mercy are dependent upon our trust. The more we trust in Him, the more graces we will receive. 


The revelations, devotions, Feast day, image and graces were all written, by her, prior to her death in 1938. Jesus told her to record all that He had given her and the devotion of the faithful commenced just prior to her death. The notes are referred to as her Diary btw.

The chaplet is said daily at 3:00 P.M. If you cannot say the entire chaplet, which takes 7-8 minutes, you can say, "Jesus, I trust in you" at that hour and then the chaplet when you have time. Here is the Chaplet, which is on our Prayer Page at the website as well, so you can see the "rosary" prayers mentioned. It IS said on a standard rosary. http://www.gloryglorygifts.com/the-prayer-page.html.

THE DIVINE MERCY CHAPLET

​1. Make the Sign of the Cross - In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. Our Father (see rosary)
3. Hail Mary (see rosary)
4. The Apostle's Creed (see rosary)
5. 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.
6. On the Ten Small Beads of Each Decade
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
7. 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.
8. Conclude with Holy God (Repeat three times)
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
9. 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.

So, getting back to my thoughts. Jesus requested that we say the Chaplet daily for ALL of those that are going to die the day that you say it. Those who do perpetual adoration are asked to say it for ALL those that will die during the week. It occurred to me after the Orlando shootings that I had said the prayer for ALL those that died in that tragedy. That is a pretty heavy responsibility when you think about it. Jesus heard my prayer (and every other person that said it that day) for every one of those people before they ever stepped foot into that club. Do you see where this is heading? Yup, I prayed for the patrons, workers and I even prayed for the shooter. I will be honest, at first I was horrified when I realized that but since I have calmed down it has occurred to me that Jesus did say to love my enemy. Pray for my enemy for what reward is there in loving your friends and family - even the tax collectors do that (okay so I paraphrased Jesus). That is exactly what Jesus told St. Faustina when he appeared to her ~ that the Divine Mercy Chaplet is to be said for the most hardened of hearts. IF he cried out to Jesus in the last moment he could be saved. He didn't though, so my guess (though I'm not supposed to do this) is that he isn't with Jesus in paradise. 

We are living in a very messed up world that seems to be growing worse each day. I do take a small amount of comfort in knowing that Jesus heard many prayers for those that lost their lives in Dallas, Nice and Turkey this past week. May His divine mercy rest on those of the faithfully departed that we have lost and on those that we are yet to lose.

I implore  you to start saying the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy today. Increase your own devotion to Christ and pray for all humanity. The Chaplet can lead many lives to Him, even at the hour of their death. Your prayer, of this chaplet, can save a soul and that is a pretty awesome thing.

God bless, and peace

Mare

BTW: Maria Faustina Kowalska was made a saint by the Catholic Church in 2000. Pope John Paul II called her the first Saint of the new millennium.

Faith & Healing

A few days ago  I read an interesting article about faith and healing. It was a nice article, in the Aletia on-line magazine, that showcased one man's perspective on how they go hand in hand. Can you have healing without faith? Of course you can. It happens every day in the hands of doctors, surgeons, therapists and other mental health professionals and even financial advisors. All of them can heal a person in one way or another. I guess you could say that you have faith in those people because you sought them out to help you, but I'm talking about a faith in God when it comes to healing. Even Atheists have faith in doctors and the others.

I know that my church, and one other local one, have monthly healing masses and services. During the mass the Holy Spirit is invoked and asked to provide healing for all of those present whether it be a spiritual, mental, or physical aspect. After the mass, at my church, a healing service is conducted where there is a laying on of hands and then prayers are said over a person. It probably took me a year to actually go and have that done to me. I remember the first time that I went to the mass I sat and watched the service afterward and some of the people that were being prayed over crumpled to the floor. That totally and completely freaked me out and, as one with a rather formidable figure, I had visions of myself crumbling to the floor while four skinny arms tried to stop me. The speaking in tongues thing gave me a "what the?" moment too. After that, I educated myself on what was happening and why. Speaking in tongues is a gift of the Holy Spirit. If you are truly speaking through this gift, either you will understand what is being said or someone else will. If it is all just garbled nonsensical ramblings, it is not the Holy Spirit speaking through them. The other thing I learned is that you can sit and have them pray over you. Once I found that out I decided to have a go at it.

I was prayed over by a group of 3 women, one of which was a Sister involved with the church's School of Religion. I sat down while they each put a hand on me and inquired what my prayer intention was. I told them that it was not actually for me but a family member that was struggling with addiction. During my education on the crumbling and tongues I found out that you can have them pray over you for the healing of another person. I did have some pretty serious things going on in my own body at the time, but I really needed to pray for my loved one. The women then put both of their hands on me and started to pray, with their eyes closed. The louder and more passionate they got, the more I felt a flush of heat pulsate through my body from my hair follicles to the tips of my toes. It only took a few minutes before some of them were speaking in tongues. After the flush I felt an incredible peace settle into my bones and then it was over. I just sat there with my eyes closed feeling the peace and warmth and utter silence in my head and it was just an awesome experience. I wish I could say that my loved one stopped using drugs and was immediately cured, but it took many more years of prayers before he decided to get clean and sober. On the other hand, I had a pretty miraculous, unexpected turn of events.

The following week I had to go for a follow up sonogram. A prior test had shown that four of my organs were filled with cysts. My pancreas had so many that they thought it was a tumor. The follow up sono could find no trace of any of them, neither in the pancreas nor in any other organ. My doc said whatever you are doing, keep doing it! I've been to a number of healing masses since then. I've had tumors disappear and many prayers answered. You can say that I am a firm believer in the power of prayers, the power of faith and its direct correlation with healing.

If you have the opportunity to go to a good healing service or mass do so. Stay away from things like Reiki though. They are not invoking the Holy Spirit and you are opening yourself up to some nasty things. It is okay to pray for yourself, but it is more important to pray for others.  God hears all prayers. God heals, if it is His will to do so. Sure, healing can occur without a faith in God, but isn't it nicer to have him by your side?

Have a great week.

Mare

Do You Really Understand the Rosary?

Often, I meet people that do not understand the Rosary, which is a prayer that Catholics say. Even Catholics do not say it correctly, which doesn't surprise me. Many people that are my age, in particular, seem to have lost the fine art of reciting it or prayer in general. It is not a prayer that is only for Catholics either; I know quite a few others that recite it.

Rosary means garland of roses and roses are associated with Mother Mary. Tradition has it that it was being said prior to St. Domenic's vision of the Blessed Mother in 1221, but no known date or source has been verified. St. Domenic has been credited with spreading devotion of the prayer, though.

The Rosary is a daily prayer, though you can say it as often as you like. To clear up one of the biggest misconceptions about it, it does not elevate Mary above any one of the Holy Trinity. In fact, if you are meditating on Mary throughout it you are saying the prayer incorrectly. While saying the Rosary you, in fact, meditate on a number of mysteries of Jesus' life. The mysteries are broken up into 4 categories - the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious.

Joyful:
The Annunciation, The Visitation, The Birth of Our Lord, The Presentation in the Temple and The Finding of Jesus in the Temple (Mondays & Saturdays, also Sundays during Advent)

Luminous:
The Baptism in the Jordan, The Miracle at the Cana Wedding, The Proclamation of the Kingdom, The Transfiguration and the Institution of the Eucharist (Thursday)

Sorrowful:
The Agony in the Garden, The Scourging at the Pillar, The Crowning with Thorns, The Carrying of the Cross, The Crucifixion (Tuesday & Friday, also Sundays during Lent)

Glorious:
The Resurrection, The Ascension, The Descending of the Holy Spirit, the Assumption and the Crowning of Mary as Queen of Heaven (Wednesdays and Sundays in ordinary time)

You meditate on each mystery for each decade of the Rosary being said. You can dedicate the entire rosary to an intention, or each decade to one. Remember, you meditate on each Mystery and not the intention when you are saying it.

Also important during the recitation is the Our Father prayer. After each decade the Glory be is said, "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world without end. Amen" Hopefully you can now see that the Rosary is a prayer that has the Holy Trinity as the focal points.

Now, about the Hail Mary prayer. The first part:

"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,
blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb", Jesus

is text that is taken from the Bible during the Blessed Mother's visit to her cousin Elizabeth. Her own baby leapt in her womb with joy upon meeting Mary. (Luke 1:39-46). It is recognizing Mary as a woman that is incredibly blessed to be carrying God in her womb. Surely you can see the magnitude of this event?

The last half of the prayer is asking Mary, as our Mother, to pray for us" "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death" Amen. Do you not ask your own Mother, Father, family or friends to pray for you? Why not ask our Blessed Mother to pray for us as well? A beautiful example of Mary intervening for someone with Jesus is at the wedding feast in Cana. Remember that? She was like well, son, they are running out of wine and he was like well, woman, my time has not come yet. Yet he listened and responded to her request to intervene. She will take care of us as well. Just ask her to.

I find it fascinating that people can't wrap their head around Mary being born without sin. If God can create creatures such as angels, which are pure spiritual beings, why wouldn't he create a human that is pure? Mary wasn't chosen to be the Mother of God. She was created to be the Mother of God. I can't see why God would put his son into a broken or stained vessel. That makes less sense, to me anyway. We were all created for a specific purpose in this life. That was Mary's. Back to the rosary.

Prayers have been added to the rosary, after Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France, in 1858. During the visits she asked Bernadette to spread devotion to the Rosary and taught her additional prayers to be said. These additional ones are prayers to Christ and to St. Michael, the archangel, for protection against evil. To learn more about Bernadette and the messages given to her you can visit this website, which is dedicated to her: http://www.marypages.com/bernadetteEng.htm.

I am attaching how to say the rosary, as well as the prayers. It is my hope that I have shed a little light on this glorious prayer and that more people say it. If you are interested in starting to say the rosary and are in need of beads we have lovely affordable ones on the website. Our rosary rings start at just $1.30 and our beads start at $5.00. You can find them on the Children's, Rosary, and Patron Saint pages. http://www.gloryglorygifts.com.

Have a blessed and peaceful day.

Mare

If you cannot see this well, you can also find it on our Prayer Page on the website at: http://www.gloryglorygifts.com/the-prayer-page.html

WE HAVE A DELIGHTFUL ROSARY STARTER KIT TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS BLOG. $2.00 PLUS SHIPPING. White plastic beads in a clear sleeve, with instructions and prayers.