Posts

Showing posts from September, 2014

Monday Musings - Mary Our Mother

Image
As long as artists breath and ponder the eternal Truths, they will bless us with inspiring and thought-provoking images of our Blessed Mother Mary. Countless portraits of the Virgin Mother can be found on the internet, some by artists still famous centuries after their deaths and others by unknown artisans who put paint to canvass. How blessed I was to discover yet another image of our Mother - not on the internet or in a magazine - but right in my own parish. Marge Hendry, a local artist and fellow parishioner ( an example of whose work I have previously shared ), was asked to fill an empty wall space. With her permission, I am sharing a photograph of the intriguing image she created and which she simply entitles Our Lady with the Child Jesus ,

Sunday Snippets - September 28, 2014

Image
It's Sunday and time to join an interesting group of Catholic bloggers (Painting of Blessed Mother by Fra. Angelico) at RAnn's place  where you are sure to find something that will touch your heart and stir your soul. Take a few minutes and visit! These are so many Catholic blogs I enjoy. Here are two: Filling My Prayer Closet and Shirt of Flame Here are my contributions for this week: Guest Post - God Bless America? Eucharistic Reflection - See Him! The Handiwork of God Pondering Tidbits of Truth - September 25, 2014

Pondering Tidbits of Truth - September 25, 2014

Image
Pondering Tidbits of Truth is my simple and inadequate way of providing nuggets of spiritual wisdom for you to chew on from time to time. St. Bernard "The whole of the spiritual life consists of these two elements. When we think of ourselves, we are perturbed and filled with a salutary sadness. And when we think of the Lord, we are revived to find consolation in the joy of the Holy Spirit. From the first we derive fear and humility, from the second hope and love." ( Sermon 5 )

The Handiwork of God

Image
A friend, Kathy Kreinheder, captured t he magnificence of God's creation in this image: (Photo©Kathy Kreinheder)

Eucharistic Reflection - See Him

Image
(Image source: Wikimedia Commons ) “The coming of Jesus at Bethlehem brought joy to the world and to every human heart.  The same Jesus comes again and again in our hearts during Holy Communion.  He wants to give the same joy and peace.”…  “See Him in the tabernacle; fix your eyes on Him who is the light; bring your hearts close to His Divine Heart; ask Him to grant you the grace of knowing Him, the love of loving Him, the courage to serve Him. Seek Him fervently.” ( Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta )

Guest Post - God Bless America?

Image
It is my privilege to introduce my friend and writers' group sidekick, Bernie Conklin. He is one of the most authentic Christian men I know. He and is wife Mary reside in upstate New York where, among many other things, they are very active in helping those in need. Bernie loves to stir up passion for the Lord he loves and serves through his catchy, witty, insightful and challenging poetry. He also loves this great nation of ours and is ever ready to come to its defense and offer his opinion of what really ails it..  The recent remembrance of 9/11 attack on our country prompted him to share a poem he had written some time ago. If you like it, you'll enjoy his book, A Potpourri of Poetry: Simple Poems by A Simple Guy , available on Amazon.com (Image source: Wikimedia Commons ) GOD BLESS AMERICA? God bless America, you ask of me? Why should I pour forth my grace upon thee? Your hypocrisy is a crying shame, calling on me, then restrictions procl

Sunday Snippets - September 21, 2014

Image
(Abbey at Genesee, Piffard, NY) It's Sunday and time to join an interesting group of Catholic bloggers at RAnn's place  where you are sure to find something that will touch your heart and stir your soul. Take a few minutes and visit! On the road again this week visiting daughter and grandchildren. I did manage to post the following: Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows How Life Would Change Eucharistic Reflection - The Divine Heart Beating Beside Our Own Gazing in Silent Contemplation at God's Creation

Gazing In Silent Reflection at God's Creation

Image
I sat in my car outside my daughter's home early one  morning while everyone else was still asleep. I intended to savor my cup of coffee in the silent shadows of the changing sky and to pray my daily rosary. I pulled the beads out of my pocket. Just as I was about to make the Sign of the Cross, I  looked up and was mesmerized as the darkness of night was replaced with the light of day. Clouds became visible and began floating past my eyes.  I was awed by the sight and stirred by the sounds of the new emerging day. How can anyone look at this miracle of creation and not see the hand and genius of God? Belatedly, I thought to use the camera on my phone to capture and preserve some of what I saw and experienced that morning. I regret not having thought to do so earlier. If you have never done so, take two minutes out of your day, at sunrise or sunset, sit silently by yourself,  and let God touch you as He did me.

Eucharistic Reflection - The Divine Heart Beating Beside Our Own

Image
“The devotion to the Blessed Eucharist and the devotion to the Sacred Heart are not only two sister devotions, in reality, they are only one and the same devotion. They complete each other and develop each other; they blend so perfectly together that one cannot stand without the other, and their union is absolute. Not only can one of these devotions not be prejudicial to the other but, because they complete each other and perfect each other, they also reciprocally increase each other. If we have devotion to the Sacred Heart, we will wish to find It, to adore It, to love It, to offer It our reparation and praise, and where shall we look for It but in the Blessed Eucharist where It is found eternally living?  

How Life Would Change

Image
The Eucharist - God among us - is an astonishing and powerful Gift. Why do so many of us ignore Him?

Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

Image
(Image source: Wikimedia Commons ) Today on this memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, let me share a unique reflection offered by the late Father Raymond, O.C.S.O. in his book, God, A Woman and The Way - a book I highly recommend you read. One of the seven dolors of our Blessed Mother; The Flight and Exile into Egypt: “There was pain in Egypt - yet, I say it was heaven.

Sunday Snippets - September 14, 2014

Image
(Photo©Michael Seagriff) We thank RAnn for hosting a diverse group of Catholic bloggers for another week. There is much that you will find worthy of your time and reflection. Click here and see how God will touch your heart and stir your soul through the articles posted there.  This week's question asks with which ministry/activities within my parish am I involved. It is my privilege to serve as a weekday lector and as the Coordinator of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Here is what I shared this week: He Is Always At Our Side Eucharistic Reflection - Our Lives Must Be Woven Around the Eucharist The Heartbeat of Evangelization Pondering Tidbits of Truth - September 11, 2014 Book Review - A Subtle Grace

Book Review - A Subtle Grace

Image
I was looking forward to the publication of this book, sequel to the author’s earlier novel, “In Name Only”. Pressing family matters delayed my writing and posting this review sooner. "A Subtle Grace" begins years after "In Name Only" ended, but it seemed that I had never left the O’Donovan family. The author quickly brought us “up to speed” as to what had happened in the intervening years.   Her characters and the new story line leaped from the novel’s pages. I love this author's work and was probably predisposed to be favorable. But even I did not expect such a gripping tale. How good was this book? I bypassed a number of “March Madness” games because I was mesmerized and intrigued by the plot, its characters, surprise turns and its fast pace. The book exceeded all of my expectations. It was difficult for me to put it down. Who says an author can not weave her faith throughout a novel without losing her audience? You be wrong if

Pondering Tidbits of Truth - September 11, 2014

Image
Pondering Tidbits of Truth is my simple and inadequate way of providing nuggets of spiritual wisdom for you to chew on from time to time.   Archbishop Luis M. Martinez  "We appreciate the flavor of some fruit much more when we taste it than when we read a description of it in a botany book. What description comes near the actual taste we get when we bite into fruit? So too, when we are united to God and savor Him by personal experience we know divine things better than when we read things written by learned men." (From True Devotion to the Holy Spirit )

The Heartbeat of Evangelization

Image
It is so difficult to understand why "we don't get it?" It has always got to be about Jesus. There is nothing of any value that any of us can do without Him. He, and He alone, is all we need.  He asks us to spend time on our knees in His Presence, adoring Him. We don't. Look around and see the consequences of our failure to do as He asks and to give Him what he desires and deserves.

Eucharistic Reflection - Our Lives Must Be Woven Around the Eucharist

Image
(Photo©Michael Seagriff) “Like Mary, let us be full of zeal to go in haste to give Jesus to others. She was full of grace when, at the annunciation, she received Jesus. Like her, we too become full of grace every time we receive Holy Communion. It is the same Jesus whom she received and whom we receive at Mass. As soon as she received Him she went with haste to give Him to John. For us also, as soon as we receive Jesus in Holy Communion, let us go in haste to give Him to our sisters, to our poor, to the sick, to the dying, to the lepers, to the unwanted, and the unloved. By this we make Jesus present in the world today. 

He Is Always At Our Side

Image
One of the most frequently recommended spiritual practices is to be ever conscious that wherever we are, whatever we are doing, thinking, speaking - all of our earthly actions and failures to act - are done in the presence of God, Who is always at our side. If our goal is to give Him glory we will soon amend our lives.

Sunday Snippets-September 7, 2014

Image
It's Sunday and time to join an interesting group of Catholic (Photo©Michael Seagriff) bloggers at RAnn's place . Take a few minutes and check us out! I have no doubt you will find something intended for your eyes and ears. Never Stop Praying! Eucharistic Reflection - The Stranger In Whose Presence We Find Ourselves Where Will We Find You, God? No Words Needed

No Words Needed

Image
(Image source: Pinterest)

Where Will We Find You, God?

Image
Lord, give us the grace to embrace, rather than flee from, the crosses you ask us to carry.

Eucharistic Reflection - The Stranger In Whose Presence We Find Ourselves

Image
(St. Vincent Ferrer Parish, NYC) “The holy hour in our modern rat race is necessary for authentic prayer. Our world is one of speed in which intensity of movement is a substitute for lack of purpose; where noise is invoked to drown out the whisperings of conscience; where talk, talk, talk gives the impression that we are doing something when really we are not; where activity kills self-knowledge won by contemplation…

Never Stop Praying!

Image
The great deceiver knows that a soul who abandons prayer is likely to abandon God.