Thank you Sue of Catholic Community.
In a garden Mary stood when Springtime's radiant beauty
Wrapped the world in sunlight and filled her heart with joy.
Down the garden-path there ran a slender little Figure
Bringing her a gift of love - He, her God, her Boy!
Mary opened wide her arms to take her sheaf of lilies:
"Mother!" called her little Son, and never had she heard
In the angel's message, in brooklet, or in bird-song,
Music half so lovely as that one tender word.
On a hill-top Mary stood one sadder, later Springtime.
All the earth was wrapped in gloom beneath that blood-stained Cross;
Memories thronged about her, memories of His Childhood,
Adding to her loneliness, her pain, her sense of loss.
Mary opened wide her arms but His were nailed securely "
Mother!" breathed her dying Son, and never had she heard
In her sword-pierced heart that knew the very depths of sorrow
Anything approaching the pathos of that word.
"Mother! Mother Mary!" a million hearts are calling,
"Open wide again those arms, and in their warm embrace,
Take the children Jesus gave you on that darkened hill-top
When He named you Mother of the sin-stained human race."
Sr. Maryanna Robert, Cyril.
Our Lady's Praise in Poetry.
Poughkeepsie, New York: Marist Press, 1944.
Another excellent post by Sue of Catholic Community for those of us striving for sanctity.DYING TO SELFWhen you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don't sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ. THAT IS DYING TO SELFWhen your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take in all in patient, loving silence. THAT IS DYING TO SELFWhen you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any unpunctuality, or any annoyance; when you stand face-to- face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility-and endure it as Jesus endured. THAT IS DYING TO SELFWhen you are content with any food, any offering, any climate, any society, any raiment, any interruption by the will of God. THAT IS DYING TO SELFWhen you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after commendations, when you can truly love to be unknown. THAT IS DYING TO SELFWhen you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances. THAT IS DYING TO SELFWhen you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart. THAT IS DYING TO SELFAre you dead yet? In these last days, the Spirit would bring us to the cross."That I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death." Phil.3:10
Shared by my friend Marcella. Thank you Marcella!
A little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper, and handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his Mom dried her hands on an apron, she read it, and this is what it said:
For cutting the grass: $5.00
For cleaning up my room this week: $1.00
For going to the store for you: $.50
Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping: $.25
Taking out the garbage: $1.00
For getting a good report card: $5.00
For cleaning up and raking the yard: $2.00
Total owed: $14.75
Well, his mother looked at him standing there, and the boy could see the memories flashing through her mind. She picked up the pen, turned over the paper he'd written on, and this is what she wrote:
For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me: No Charge
For all the nights that I've sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you: No Charge
For all the trying times, and all the tears that you've caused through the years: No Charge
For all the nights that were filled with dread, and for the worries I knew were ahead: No Charge
For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose: No Charge
Son, when you add it up, the cost of my love is: No Charge.
When the boy finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight at his mother and said, "Mom, I sure do love you." And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote: "PAID IN FULL". ~~Author Unknown
In 2002, I was interviewed for an article in England's National Association of Catholic Families's December issue of Catholic Family.
Esther C. Gefroh explains In Hawaiian, ‘ohana’ means ‘family’.
It is a very important word because life in Hawaii is centred on the family. We are blessed to be a
Catholic ohana in this beautiful state.
This year the Church celebrated 175 years in Hawaii. The date commemorates the arrival of
the Sacred Heart Fathers (the Order of St Damien de Veuster).
Before then, it was illegal to be Catholic; priests were expelled and people were arrested for being Catholic.
Today Catholicism is the majority religion; approximately 20% of the population is Catholic.
There are Catholic churches all over the islands and Mass attendance is high. This said, there is a shortage of priests in Hawaii and several parishes have had to be regrouped.
There are many devotions to help families to grow spiritually: the Rosary, recited prior to daily Mass; the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the Angelus at noon; May processions, Benediction held once a month at most churches. There are also Catholic organisations such as the
Legion of Mary, Knights of Columbus and Respect for Life.
In our own family we began the year by enthroning the Sacred Heart of Jesus in our home. We
attend daily Mass as often as possible, praying the Rosary and wearing the brown Scapular faithfully.
We try to raise our 11-year-old son in a Catholic way of life, despite secular attacks on the faith.
A new group that calls itself Citizens for the Separation of Church and State has had crosses removed from a military base, the fish symbol removed from the doors of senators and the motto ‘In God We Trust’ taken out of the American flag. It is interesting that this same group
protested because some students at a local high school were not permitted to wear T-shirts promoting Satanism; they actually defended the students’ rights to express their views of their ‘religion’.
A few years ago, there was a move to legalise ‘same-sex’ marriage in Hawaii. As a result of the numerous prayers offered by Christians, 70% of the people voted against this motion.
Over 20 years ago, the state that used to hold the ohana in such high esteem was the first state of the Union to legalise abortion.
Catholic parents have a struggle to help their children lead good and moral lives in the current secular atmosphere.
State schools focus on teaching about contraceptives, how the world is over-populated and
‘alternative lifestyles’ to children as young as six. For this reason we have decided to homeschool our son.
Although there are Catholic parochial schools, the education is expensive and with the decline of
religious vocations, children in these schools are often taught by non-Catholic lay people.
Our son is a typical boy, who likes computers, baseball, basketball and other sports. But he is also a Catholic boy who is not self-conscious at crossing himself or saying Grace in public.
We hope that his strong faith, our own efforts and plenty of prayers may lead to a vocation to
the priesthood. Hawaii has need of strong witnesses to the faith.
(Thanks to my friend Francis Phillips of NACF)
On Divine Mercy Sunday of 2006, Bishop Clarence (Larry) Silva dedicated the diocese of Honolulu to the Divine Mercy. The dedication will took place during a ceremony and Mass on April 23 at Star of the Sea Church in Honolulu.
This news did not escape the eyes or ears of other Catholics as evidenced by the following blog entry.
http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2006/03/word-from-honolulu_24.html
