From The Diary...

of St. Faustina..

+Mother of God, Your soul was plunged into the sea of bitterness; look upon Your child and teach her to suffer and to love while suffering. Fortify my soul that pain will not break it. Mother of grace, teach me to live by (the power of) God.

Ave Maria

Would that I could sing each bead on the Rosary this way, I'd sing it all day long!

The Feast of Mary The Mother of God

What a happy beautiful day! Today is the feast of Our Blessed Mother. Thanks Be to God for offering her to us, as our heavenly Mother. Thank you also to my earthly mother, for her gift of imparting the Faith to her children. It is because of the foundation she helped to build that God has seen fit to bless us. I am grateful for her "yes" to life and for the gift of my parents marriage. Together they have been a model for me and a witness to the blessings of the Sacrament of Marriage.

Today, Father Simon told us that if we do not see Jesus in our mothers, than we won't be able to see Him in anyone. I see Him in my mother, in both my parents. I thank them for their many gifts and blessings. For their endless prayers, for the foundation they built in me.

May God Bless them and keep them, May He make His face to shine up on them and May He look kindly upon them and give them Peace.
Happy New Year

Margie's Moments

This will be a new feature on my blog. Margie has asked to be a contributor and I am glad to have her here. So enjoy another great reflection from Margie.

A mother knows the pain of childbirth.
But she also knows the reward.
I believe that Our Blessed Mother experienced childbirth the way we do. Which is to say that it was NOT a bad experience! Those of us with children have our stories to tell but we always end with "it was worth it". This leads into my meditation on the Nativity. I imagine myself in the stable watching the birth of Jesus. I know what Mary is experiencing. The anticipation, the pain, the anxiety, the joy...
I visualize all those emotions on her face. Joseph experiences the same emotions. Then...Jesus is Born. Mary is holding him - as we mothers held
our first child. She can't stop looking at Him, kissing His little hands, smelling His hair, thinking He is so small and helpless, thanking God for Him, all the things a new mother does.
The bond is intense - we have felt that bond and we know how life changing it is. Jesus was divine - and also human - I think Mary experienced his humanity in childbirth and then the full measure of divine love upon first setting her eyes on Him. All the while - she was humble and mindful of who He was and the loving gift given to her and Joseph.

The usual image in a Nativity is Jesus in a manger surrounded by Mary and Joseph. I prefer to visualize Mary holding Jesus and Joseph holding both of them. A family - together.

Merry Christmas

Ave Maria!

This is my favorite rendition of this beautiful Hymn to Our Lady. I'll be posting my fav Christmas songs today! (To listen please scroll down to pause the Christmas Canon video)

Solemnity of The Immaculate Conception

In 1854 Pius IX gave the infallible statement: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.” Read more Here
And Here..

St. Bernadette Soubirous and The Immaculate Conception


Learn more about this Saint here.