1 Repeat, 1 Continuing, 1 New

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Last year, I discovered a way to read books that are on my shelf that were just a little too intimidating/daunting to start reading. Then I heard about a couple of podcasts that read for me (like an audiobook on a podcast format). What a great way to read! I finished 1 of the podcasts Dec. 31, 2021 which meant I could put that book over to my "Read" shelf on GoodReads. 

REPEAT

I listened to The Bible in a Year Podcast as I drove to work. I work in a school, so on weekends and breaks I pulled out my Great Adventure Bible and actually read along. I'm definitely a visual learner; I don't retain a whole lot when I just listen, but I did get a lot out of the year. I found that I understood the Daily Mass Readings better. So this year I'm repeating the podcast but I'm reading along. I also bought The Bible in a Year Notebook so I can take notes while listening to Fr. Mike's reflections (which are amazing). Last year as I was listening, there were many times when I thought "I need to remember that" but I was driving so it was forgotten as soon as I got to school and started my day. Mid-way through last year I bought Walking with God: A Journey Through the Bible (Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins) and read the chapters for the upcoming periods. A lot of the information in the book is included in Fr. Mike's reflections, but it helped me to hear it twice. Last year I was intent on keeping caught up so I could finish on Dec. 31. I've decided that this year I'm not going to stress about it. If I miss a day I'll just pick back up the next day and not worry about catching up. If it takes me more than a year, so be it. The main thing is that I read it with Fr. Mike and not just listen. 

CONTINUE

Fr. Joe Roesch, MIC, is a Marian Father. If you have heard of Fr. Donald Calloway (a.k.a. "the surfer priest") or consecrated yourself to Joseph or Mary through The Marian Priests, then you know about this order of priests. The Diary of St. Faustina is a book that my mom gifted to me but I knew it wouldn't be an easy read so I just ignored it. When I heard about this podcast I knew I had to jump on the bandwagon. I pull out the book and read along when I can. Each episode is less than 10 minutes and includes a short reflection. 

NEW

I'll be the first to say that I hadn't heard of this book. I've heard of Venerable Maria of Agreda but didn't know much about her. She was a mystic who reportedly received visions of the life of Mary. She bilocated to what is now New Mexico/Texas while physically in Spain. This is a 4-volume book read by Fr. Edward Looney from the Green Bay, WI Diocese. Each episode (as of Day 6) has been less than 20 minutes. Fr. Looney reads an excerpt from the book and gives a very brief reflection. His introductory episode grabbed my attention. If nothing else, listen to that episode and decide for yourself. This podcast may be found on Anchor, Apple, and Spotify. My preferred platform is Google so I'm hoping it will eventually be offered there as well. 

What about you? Are you listening to any of these as well? Do you know of any yearly podcasts that would be of interest?

We Are Called To Not Be Silent

Isn't it funny how when you pre-read the readings for Mass something will get your attention, but then when you hear it during Mass your attention is drawn to something else? The phrase above made me sit up a little bit. We know we are all called to evangelize, to not be silent. But how does this fit in with the Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11) and 1 Corinthians 12:4-11?

Having Confidence in Your Child

When the Wedding at Cana was read during RCIA last Wednesday, I found myself smiling at the thought of Mary being a typical mother, pushing her son into something he didn't think he was ready for. She had total confidence in him, just as we mothers do in our sons. She was not silent. This is in contrast to the Finding in the Temple when Jesus, at age 12, thought he was ready & Mary and Joseph knew the time wasn't right. She wasn't silent then, either.
At the Wedding of Cana, Mary had confidence that her son would something huge and embark on what he was meant to do, even when he didn't think he was ready. Looking at my boys men, I have so much confidence in each of them. I know they can do great things. I've given my boys a push when they need it. They each bring something different to the table- they each have different gifts (just like 1 Corinthians 12:4-11). I believe in those gifts and know they have so much to offer in finding their purposes in life. Their confidence levels are different; they are finding purposes at different ages. They are still searching. My prayer for them is that they understand that with God in their lives they'll have some clarity.

Don't Push Your Talents

I absolutely love 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 because it's so true. Every one of us has a different talent. The important thing is that we all serve the same Lord. I've had a hard time over the past year (and especially over the past few months) realizing that I don't have some talents that I really wanted to have. I read this reflection from epriest:

These weren't the reflections that went along with 1 Corinthians, but they very well could be. John knew his talents and knew that Jesus would come with greater talents than he. He didn't inflate his opinion of himself but he used them to bring people to God. He knew that his cousin would be the one with the glory. John was not silent, even to the very end.
What amazing role models we have! Men and women who were not afraid to speak up; who were not silent. People who proclaimed the word of God and let it be known that Jesus was the Messiah. We can silently evangelize while not being silent: the way we act, the way we treat others, the way we live our life is a testament to our Christian life. Some days are easier than others; some days I can definitely feel the pull of the evil one trying to get in my head. Especially on those days, don't be silent. Call on Jesus to come to your side and help you with the battle. Do not let satan win. Don't even let him claim a minor victory.  We are called to not be silent; we are called to be found guilty if accused of being a Christian.

The Most Misunderstood Feast Day in the Catholic Church

The Solemnity of the  Immaculate Conception is probably one of the most, if not THE most, misunderstood feast day in the Catholic Church. If you ask 100 Catholics what the feast day is about, I'd wager at least 25% of them will give you the wrong answer. This day is so important that not only is it a "Solemnity", but even if it falls on a Saturday or Monday Catholics are required to attend Mass. There's no "twofer" when it comes to this Solemnity; the Saturday vigil does not count for both the holy day and the Sunday obligation. It ranks right up there with Christmas in that aspect.
This Feast is about Jesus being conceived without sin, right? WRONG. Mary, whose womb housed our Savior, was conceived without sin. For those who have a problem with this concept, think of it this way: Would God allow His only son to be physically developed in a womb that was less than perfect? The answer to that question should give you insight into this most special day on the liturgical calendar. This is when it all began: God had a plan for Mary from the day of her conception (and really, even before). Just as he has a plan for all of us from day one, He also had a plan for Mary...and for mankind.

A Major Wrench in Plans

In reading Luke 1:26-38, I think the phrase that usually sticks out for people is "How can this be, since I have no relations with man?" (Luke 1:34) Or it may be "May it be done to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38). As I read it, what struck me was "...for you have found favor with God" (Luke 1:30). Wait a minute...Mary was conceived without sin, so how could she have "found favor" with God? Wouldn't she have had it all along? Then I thought about how we all have free will...Mary included. I would assume that Satan tried his best to get her to sin all through her life, especially when she was little. We all did things when we were little that were sinful, but Mary was kept pure. She could have sinned but chose not to.
When I read this passage, I think about how excited she, as a young lady, must have been to be betrothed to such a kind man as Joseph. What a wrench God put in her plans! I imagine that her plans were to marry Joseph, have a house full of kids and then grandkids, and have her boys become carpenters like their dad. Then along comes this angel Gabriel with this mind-blowing question: Will you be the Mother of God and, in doing so, become the mother of all mankind? Did she see all her dreams vanishing? Or did she realize that this is what her purpose for being was?
I'm a control freak, although I'm actually getting better with this flaw. I like for things to be planned out so there are no surprises. Except there are always surprises. We all know God has a sense of humor. He's constantly letting me know that He's in control, not me. When my plans get a wrench thrown at them, I need to remember the wrench God threw Mary and be able to calm down and accept it.

Joseph's Role

Now, about that angel...it struck me during Mass that Mary was only told about the good things. What about the part where her heart would be ripped out because there would be people who wanted to kill her baby from day one? What about having to watch her son hang on a cross and holding his dead body in her arms? Of course, we don't know the whole conversation. That's the bottom line: We only know what we're meant to know at this point.
God prepared her from the moment of conception to be His bride. He chose Joseph to be the earthly father of His son. Assumedly (this is just my thought), God took Joseph from this life so the bond between Mary and us would be stronger. If Joseph had been living at Jesus' death, he would have been the one to care of Mary. If Jesus had brothers or sisters, they would have been the ones taking care of her. But Jesus, in giving her to John, gave her to all of us. He shared his mother with all of us, to be our mother. What a gift He gave us! In addition to everlasting life, He gave us His mother. I can just imagine the bond He had with her. We don't know when Joseph died, but I have to imagine that the bond between Jesus and Mary only deepened after his death, if that's even possible.

What's Holding Me Back?

"Let it be done unto me." (Luke 1:38) How many times could I have said that in my life thus far yet didn't? What held me back? For me, personally, the answer to that is selfishness and fear. Fear of being uncomfortable, not being accepted or of being alone. How alone did Mary feel experiencing a pregnancy before being married that no one could possibly comprehend? How alone did she feel knowing that Joseph may not have the faith he needed to believe her? Did Mary run to her mother and tell her what happened? (I know I would have.) Did her parents have any doubt at all about what she said or did they immediately know what she was saying was true? Would I have been able to say "yes" to God? I'm definitely no saint and we know that Mary was groomed from conception to be willing to be the mother of Jesus. If not, she wouldn't have been the Immaculate Conception.
I've always had difficulty understanding why Mary is called "the new Eve". But I think I understand it now with Genesis 3:20: The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living. My explanation: When Jesus was on the cross He gave his mother to all of us when he told John, "Behold, your mother." (John19:27) Eve was created in a state of grace just as Mary, but she fell from that grace, unlike Mary. When Jesus gave all of us Mary as our mother, Mary became the new Eve.
If you weren't clear about the Immaculate Conception, know that you aren't alone. I truly believe this is the most misunderstood feast day in the Catholic Church. If you're a Catholic, I hope I've given something to think about.  If you're not Catholic, I hope this post has explained this most Holy Day to you and given you some insight on why this day is or should be so important to not just us, but to Christians everywhere.

Did you know:

• The fourth time Mary appeared to Bernadette in Lourdes, Mary called herself "The Immaculate Conception". That was how the priest knew it was Mary appearing since Bernadette had never heard that title.
• The formal doctrine of the Immaculate Conception wasn't proclaimed until December 8, 1854, by Pope Pius IX. 
• Our Holy Lady Immaculately Conceived is the Patroness of the United States.

{Book Review} Under the Mantle: Marian Thoughts from a 21st Century Priest

Under the Mantle: Marian Thoughts from a 21st Century Priest by Father Donald Calloway, MIC (Marian Press, 2013) is the perfect book for someone who is not a theologian to read and glean an understanding of Mary. Even if you think you know Mary, this book has some thought-provoking and "aha" moments for you.
Father Donald H. Calloway is a priest who is known as the "Surfer Priest". I read his book No Turning Back: A Witness to Mercy in one day. I was riveted by what a troubled young man he was and his "in your face" conversion. While that book is not necessary before reading Under the Mantle, it does provide a bit of insight as to who exactly wrote this book.
Fr. Calloway poses this question in the 3rd Chapter (Who Do You Say That I Am?":
So what the heck happened that caused so many modern Catholics to turn away from loving Jesus and his Church? The answer is heartbreaking. They had forgotten Mary.
How in the world do any Christians, much less Catholics, forget Mary? Heartbreaking, indeed. I thought I knew a lot about Mary but after reading this book I realize I have so much more to learn. Father Calloway does an excellent job of putting Mary right smack dab in the middle of our faith and explaining how she is a part of every facet of Christianity. How sad is it that she is often cast aside?

Connecting Us with Jesus

In the introduction, Father Calloway suggests reading this book slowly. I'm a fast reader and often don't retain a lot of what I read. I took his suggestion to heart. I would read a chapter then put the book down. That allowed his words to truly sink in.
Case in point: In Chapter 3 Father Calloway gives the illustration of Mary's importance by using our body. We are the body, Jesus is the head, and Mary is the neck. I read that chapter, put the book down, and thought, "Okay. I get it." But, did I really get it? It wasn't until about a week later when I was walking the dogs in the park early one morning that I wholeheartedly understood, thanks to a song by Casting Crowns. I had my earbuds in and my music randomly playing when this song came on:

By the end of the song, I got it. There's no mention of Mary in the song, but Mary (the neck) connects us (the body) to Jesus (the head). If Jesus is the head and we are the body, there has to be something that connects us. There has to be a neck. The neck allows the body to receive nourishment. The neck holds the head. The neck appears to be unimportant, but it isn't. Mary connects us to Jesus.

Seeing Mary in Every Aspect of our Lives

Father Calloway does an excellent job of tying Mary to every aspect of the Catholic Church: Scripture, the Papacy, the Priesthood,  Confession, Matrimony, and The Divine Mercy. Mary's importance in telling of Jesus' birth and childhood is examined. Who told the apostles the stories? As Fr. Calloway says: that's a "no-brainer": it had to be Mary.
At some points in the book, I wondered where he was going with the subject and how it tied into Mary. He did a fantastic job of tying everything back to Mary and our relationship to her. In Chapters 8 and 9 he discusses Manhood and Femininity respectively. I have to admit that the manhood chapter made me a little sad because he discusses how important it is for men to show their sons their devotion to Jesus and Mary, as well as praying. I realized that this was such a huge hole in the lives of my sons, but that's a discussion for another day.

Favorite Quotes

At the end of each chapter, there are Marian quotes that Father collected through the years. Here are a few of my favorites:

• If God labored six days in preparing a paradise for man, he would spend a longer time preparing a paradise for his Divine Son. As no weeds grew in Eden, so no sin would arise in Mary, the paradise of the incarnation. Most unbecoming it would be for the sinless Lord to come into the world through a woman afflicted with sin. A barn door cannot fittingly serve as an entrance to a castle. Venerable Fulton J. Sheen
• True devotion to Christ demands true devotion to Mary. Pope St. Pius X
• While we adore the Child, should we not then venerate his mother, and while we kneel to Jesus, should we not at least clasp the hand of Mary for giving us such a Savior? There is a grave danger that, lest in celebrating a Christmas without the mother, we may soon reach a point where we will celebrate Christmas without the Babe, and these days are upon us now.  Venerable Fulton J. Sheen
• Satan fears Mary as a frightened dog fears the rod with which he has been beaten. St. John Eudes
• Even if you have to fight distractions all through your whole Rosary be sure to fight well, arms in hand; that is to say, do not stop saying your Rosary even if it is hard to say and you have absolutely no sensible devotion. It is a terrible battle, I know, but one that is profitable to the faithful soul. St. Louis de Montfort
• If you invoke the Blessed Virgin when you are tempted, she will come at once to your help, and Satan will leave you. St. John Vianney
• The heart of a mother is a marvel of mercy. When we fear to go to God, when we are overwhelmed by our unworthiness, we can go toMary, because God has entrusted to her the realm of mercy. Blessed Columba Marmion
• In our day, Our Lady has been given to us as the best defense against the evils that afflict modern life; Marian devotion is the sure guarantee of her maternal protection and safeguard in the hour of temptation. Pope Benedict XVI
• If you wish to convert anyone to the fullness of the knowledge of our Lord and of his Mystical Body, then teach him the Rosary. One of two things will happen. Either he will stop saying the Rosary--or he will get the gift of faith. Venerable Fulton J. Sheen
• Do you want to have an advocate in the Son's presence, too? Turn to Mary. St. Bernard of Clairvaux
• Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did. St. Maximillian Kolbe

Mary has always held a special place in my heart. I wrote about her as my protector in this post. This book gave me a much deeper look at how she is not just our mother, but our mama.
As Christians, we should all embrace Mary as our mother and look to her for intercession. Under the Mantle: Marian Thoughts from a 21st Century Priest is the perfect book to help all Catholics hold Mary in the high esteem she should be and to embrace her as our mother and intercessor.

Game Day!

I live in a diocese where the Ascension is moved to the Sunday following the actual day, so our Mass Readings today are for the Ascension.

These Readings completely melded for me. In the First Reading (Acts 1:1-11) you have Jesus ascending and the 2 angels telling the apostles to stop standing around. I can’t tell you the countless times my tennis instructor, elementary basketball coach, and even my band director told me to stop standing around. My mom used to tell us to stop sitting around like a bump on a log. Jesus made it perfectly clear what they were supposed to do, what He had prepared them to do. They had rigorously trained for this moment in their lives, yet they just stood there staring at the sky. I’m sure it was in utter disbelief. Can you ever truly be completely prepared for something like that?

The 2^nd Reading (Eph 4: 1-13) urges us to take the gifts God has given us and use them for His glory. The apostles were given different gifts: they didn’t all have the same ones. Think about your family. I know in mine, I was amazed at how each of my 9 siblings had different gifts to use when my father was in the last year of his life and needed us. We all aren’t caregivers; we all aren’t good with financial matters; we all aren’t called to make meals, and we all don’t know about insurance matters yet we all came together and together made a complete team. It was the same for the apostles: they each used their gifts and as a team came together to proclaim the Word & save. St. Paul urges us to take our gift & use it “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity through spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3); basically to use our gifts for His glory. We shouldn’t be boastful or proud of our gifts. (I always think of the Blessed Virgin when I think about this: she didn’t go around saying, “You know Jesus? He’s my son. He performs miracles…what does your kid do?”) We should take our individual gifts, stop standing around, and get busy.

The Gospel (Mark 16:15-20) is a kind of prequel to the First Reading. Jesus tells the apostles to go out and save. He kept His promise to them by staying with them in the Holy Spirit. He gave them individual gifts and sent them to specific places so that we might be saved. He still does that today with each of us. He’s asking us to take our gifts and use them. He became man so that we might realize that we have these gifts. We aren’t supposed to keep them to ourselves; we are to go out into the world and share them for HIM.

Which brings us to full circle with the angels saying “Why are you standing there looking at the sky?” Or in other words: He told you this would happen. He prepared you for this. Now it’s Game Day!

{SQT} VBS Week

It's Friday (YAY!), so it must be time for Seven Quick Takes, hosted by Kelly at  This Ain't the Lyceum. 

--- 1 ---

Since I "don't work during the summer", Sister asked me if I would be able to help with Vacation Bible School this week. I, along with another lady, was in charge of getting the snacks together and getting them to the kids. It's been a great week! The program that we're using has everything: activities, stories, crafts, music, and snacks that are all centered around our theme, Apparitions of Mary.  Since every group but one has been to the story room before snacks, I had to tell them about the "Apparition of the Day". By Wed., I realized that I need to do a quick read the night before to make sure I know what I'm talking about!

--- 2 ---

Monday's Apparition was Lourdes, which some of the kids thought was "Lord". (Southern accent!) When we were planning the snacks, one of the activities looked really cool: a little bit of powdered pudding, a little bit of milk, and a drop or 2 of blue food coloring, all in a ziploc bag. When the kids squished the bag to mix it all up, the "water" (blue food coloring) came to the "top of the ground". It looked good on paper!  What we should have done was make the pudding ahead of time, put a little bit in each bag and put a drop of food coloring in between the spoonfuls of pudding. Then when they squished the bag it would turn blue.
The other snack we had was cheese & crackers in the shape of a decade of the Rosary.

Cheese & Crackers arranged to look like a decade of the Rosary

I was amazed at how many kids had no idea what a Rosary is! No wonder we're losing people!

--- 3 ---

I wasn't there on Tues. due to a couple of previously made appointments, but it was "Fatima Day". The kids at least had heard of her since our parish is Our Lady of Fatima. For snack, we found (on Pinterest) some cute crackers & cheese put together to look like a sun. No one took a picture of the finished product, but I asked some of the kids how it went & they said they really liked it.

From Creative Food

--- 4 ---

Wednesday was "Our Lady of Guadalupe Day".  We made sombreros using round crackers, canned cheese (for decoration), and a grape in the middle. We also made a Juan Diego with a tilma using a pretzel rod & a fruit roll up.

Juan Diego with a sombrero and tilma

--- 5 ---

Thursday was "Our Lady of Knock Day". Snack was a crown using round crackers, cream cheese and goldfish.

Photo courtesy of Luis Ramos

Our original plan for Thursday was to let the kids put the crowns together themselves, but we decided that some would just want to eat the ingredients instead of getting the full effect of the crown, so 4 of us got them all ready. We had a few kids who said they didn't like cream cheese, so we asked them to try 1 little bite. Some ended up liking it; the ones who didn't were given crackers & goldfish.
If I had to do this over, I would use a cookie and frosting, then use the graham cracker goldfish.
1 of the women brought some tamales to share. Oh...MY, it was good! This was definitely one of the perks to being Catholic: Having a Hispanic sister bring tamales!

2nd breakfast of tamales

--- 6 ---

AH....Friday at last! "Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Day"! We made scapulars out of brownies, frosting, pretzel sticks for the crosses, and twizzlers for the string that attaches them. One of the ladies made the brownies on Wed. before we left for the day. Some of the kids who weren't going to be there on Friday were a bit disappointed.

--- 7 ---

Our music director is a young guy who is just fantastic. He's so talented, and has the talent of making music fun for everybody, no matter what your age. I would have loved to have shown you a clip of the kids, but apparently that's frowned upon!

How does this compare with Vacation Bible School at your church? Do you, or have you ever helped?

{SQT} A Couple of Appreciations and Some Cleaning

--- 1 ---

I started to begin this post talking about the Our Lady of Fatima Touring Statue, but then realized that should be a post on its own. Come back in a few days to get the 411!

--- 2 ---

I work for a school system. If you do, too, you know how underappreciated we all feel. Our PTO (although our principal has changed the name to "MOCS"---don't ask me what the acronym stands for because I couldn't tell you!) set up our workroom/eating area on Monday. It stayed like this all week, with little goodies set out for us.

--- 3 ---

In addition to Teacher Appreciation Week, May is also "Better Hearing and Speech Month". As a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP), this is the month that we are supposed to get the word out about all things Speech & Hearing. My coordinator sent out goodies for all of us SLPs.

--- 4 ---

I receive the Divine Mercy Daily in my email box every morning, but I think I'm going to have to unsubscribe. I am feeling so guilty about not praying the Chaplet as I sat next to my father as he was dying. I said a Rosary, but I honestly didn't even think about the Chaplet. I don't think I'm supposed to feel that way after reading those daily emails!

--- 5 ---

As my siblings & I are cleaning out my parents' house, we often come across things that make us smile. We're down to the very last things in the house; everything of any sentimental value has been taken out. I went down with my youngest son the other day so he could look through the kitchen things to see if there was anything he wanted (for when he decides to move out on his own). When I found this, I smiled:

It may look like just a little metal biscuit cutter to you, but this was what we used to make host out of bread when we played Mass! 

--- 6 ---

I spent part of last weekend cleaning off my desk. I found a place for almost everything I took from my parents' house. Here is the desk before:

and after:

This is where I say my morning prayers & read the daily readings. 

--- 7 ---

Last night began our Diocesan CCW (Council of Catholic Women) Convention. It's being held in my home parish this year, so it was nice to come home last night & sleep in my own bed instead of being in a hotel. We began the evening with a Mass celebrated by the Bishop, then dinner, and a presentation. The speaker was Jeff Gardner, of The Picture Christians Project. He speaks again this morning, so check back for a recap of the weekend!

I'm linking up with Kelly at This Ain't the Lyceum for Seven Quick Takes.

Black Madonna

This post was originally published on 04/19/2011 on my blog Life in a Small Town, and is being posted here as an entry into the #WorthRevisit linky hosted by Theology is a Verb and Reconciled to You.

Last week, during our Parish Mission, Father Simon spoke quite a bit about the "Black Madonna of Czestochowa".  She also called the "Queen of Poland".  Get ready to hear an amazing story.

Originally it was said that this icon was painted by St. Luke, who lived the same time as the Virgin Mary.  It is said to have been painted on the top of a table that was built by no other than Jesus Himself.  While St. Luke was painting the picture, Mary told him of Jesus' life, which is how St. Luke wrote his gospel.
However, the Pauline Fathers' website indicates that the icon was "probably from 9th century Greek or Italian origins with 13th century overpaintings."

The icon left Jerusalem and stayed in Constantinople at the urgency of St. Helena, who was Constantine's mother.  400 years later, it was used as a dowry for one of the princesses who married into the Russian Opolsey Family.  That family married into Polish royalty, which explains how the icon ended up in Poland.  Prince Ladislaus, ruler of Poland, decided to move the icon after the Tartans attacked the castle, and an arrow was shot through a window, slashing the icon on Our Lady's throat.  During the move to Opole for protection, Ladislaus stopped in Czestochowa for the night, and placed the icon in a church for safe-keeping.  The next morning, the horses were unable to pull the wagon.  After several unsuccessful attempts, the prince knelt in front of the icon and asked what he was suppose to do.  His answer came in the form of a dream:  He was instructed to leave the icon in Czestochowa and to have it enshrined on Jasna Gora (the highest place in the town).  The prince brought the Pauline Fathers from Hungary to Poland to guard over the icon.

Unfortunately, the icon was not completely safe.  During a raid in which many monks (who were trying to keep the icon safe) were killed,  religious artifacts were taken out of the church and were thrown into the vandals' cart.  They were 1 1/2 miles from the church when the horses stopped and could not be budged.  The icon was thrown on the ground, broken into 3 pieces, and slashed.  This is how the marks on Our Lady's face happened.  The vandal was about to do further damage, when he was struck by lightening and killed.  The other vandals ran away after seeing what happened.  The priests, upon seeing their beloved icon, knelt and prayed.  A spring suddenly appeared, and the priests used that water to clean the icon as best they could.  Saint Barbara's Church was built on that site to accommodate pilgrims who visited and were granted physical and spiritual healing.  Today, pilgrims to the shrine at Jasna Gora will see crutches and braces along the wall, visual signs of miracles that are attributed to the Black Madonna of Czestochowa.  Pope John Paul II (who was Polish) credits his miraculous healing from the assassination attempt to the Black Madonna; he left the stole he was wearing when he got shot on the altar.

Tradition says that Our Lady is black because of the soot of the votive candles that have been placed around the icon.  The Pauline Fathers' site indicates that she is dark because of the paints that were used.  In the shrine, the icon is protected from fire and bullets through fire-proof and bullet-proof glass.  

When restoring the icon, the slashes on Our Lady's face were left alone, as a reminder of the desecration that the image suffered.  When I look at those slashes, I think about the hurt that Mary has gone through and is still going through:  Seeing her son crucified, as well as seeing nations turn against her son.  It's a reminder to me that my disappointments and sufferings are nothing compared to what she went through.  It's also a reminder that she understands and will intercede on my behalf.

Below is a clip of the song "Czarna Madonna" (Black Madonna).  The song starts in Polish; the English verses can be found around 1:50.

There's a corner of a country
Which the pilgrims gladly seek
Where in glory hangs the portrait
Of a Queen slashed on the cheek.
She is grieving, She is caring,
She invites us, everyone:
"I'm your Mother, be my daughter,
be my son."

Madonna, oh Black Madonna
I'm happy your child to be
Oh grant me, oh Black Madonna
That your arms may cradle me.

In your arms we find the refuge
And the warmth of your great love
In your arms we do find hope, joy
And the strength to go through life.
In your arms is found the Saviour
The Bread, The Truth and our Way,
In your arms is found the Peace
For which we search.

Madonna, oh Black Madonna
I'm happy your child to be
Oh grant me, oh Black Madonna

That your arms may cradle me.

Mary: What's in a Name

My parents waited to name their 6^th daughter, their last daughter, Mary. That last daughter would be me. Some children go through a part of their lives wishing they had a different name. I don’t remember going through that phase. I once had someone ask me why my parents waited so long to name one of their children Mary (I am #8). I had no answer, and when I asked my mother, she didn’t have an answer, either. It was just meant to be.

Of course I feel a closeness to Mary, since she is my namesake. As a child, I was extremely afraid of thunderstorms; more so than any of my siblings ever were. If I had a nickel for every time I said a Hail Mary during a storm, I’d be financially set to retire today. Saying a Hail Mary gives me a sense of comfort, a sense of security, like none other. (Saying "now and at the hour of our death" kind of freaked me out as a child, though!)

I have quite an imagination. This is why I avoid watching horror movies.  When the movie Halloween came out, I just had to hear about it to have nightmares. After discussing it with my mother, she told me to ask Mary to protect me. She said that the devil leaves Mary alone; he doesn't even think about touching her.  I guess he knows better than to mess with her! 

It wasn't just horror movies. During school, we discussed Bonnie & Clyde, and we saw pictures of their car riddled with bullets. Revisiting that picture in my mind kept me from going to sleep at night. When I talked to my mother about it, the first words were Say some Hail Marys. I can't even count the number of nights I fell asleep clutching my Rosary in my hands. My Rosary was (and still is) my security blanket at night.

Even now, when something is going on with my boys or my imagination runs rampant over something I saw or heard about, I go to Mary. She gives me the comfort and security I need to push thoughts out of my mind. I know that she is my biggest advocate to her son when it comes to trials in my everyday life. I know she is right there, rooting me on. 

I think it's very sad that you don't hear about parents naming their daughters Mary. I know one child named Mary, and I work in a school system. It's a beautiful name; one that holds so much responsibility, so much love with just the word. Paired with the middle name (in my case, Mary Patricia or Mary Pat), it becomes unique. Is it a "cutesie" name? Not really, but the beauty of it should override cute. 

So...let's bring back the name and the honor it gives the girl who bears it. Let's give Mary the honor that she deserves. Let's strive to be more like her.

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

----The Wedding at Cana-----
Let me say this before I move on: this Homily totally blew my mind. Even though I'm in my 50's, my faith is still in the child-like stages. I'm learning things weekly that I feel I should have known before now, but never made connections. Maybe I never really paid attention to what Father was saying, even though I thought I was. Writing down key points of the Homily is definitely helping me see connections and relations, as well as pointing me in the right direction of how to live my life.
Obviously, when Mary tells Jesus the wine is running low during the wedding celebration, He doesn't argue with her. He doesn't look at her and make noises; He simply reminds her that it isn't yet His time. And, Mary doesn't argue with Him; she simply looks at the servants and tells them to do whatever He tells them to do. 
That was my first 'aha'. She tells them to put their trust in Him, listen, and do what He tells them to. Isn't that what we should be doing in our Prayer Life? Or, better yet, in our life? 
I thought this passage was just conveying Jesus' first miracle. And that was all it was conveying. A wedding? How nice. As Father said, everyone wants weddings to be perfect, but they never are. There's always one little hitch; this one just happened to be running out of wine. Mary shows us that she is a mom...she's worried about running out of wine!
What did Jesus use? He used the jars that they used for washing their hands and feet. Then He did a little miracle of turning the water into wine. (Apparently it was the good stuff, too!) The water that cleansed the people was turned into wine, just as the wine is turned into Jesus' blood...that cleanses us. Father said that as they witnessed the water turned into wine, so we witness the wine turn into blood. 
AHA! The light came on! 
Do you keep a Mass Journal? What "aha" moment did you have during Mass or your service?

Solemnity of Mary

Last week, I was a bit surprised when I saw that Sunday was the Feast of the Holy Family. For some reason, I always thought that 01 January was it. I guess you're never too old to learn something!

I chose to attend 9:00 a.m. Mass this morning because I figured that there wouldn't be very many people in attendance. There were a lot of cars in the parking lot, so I was pleasantly surprised. I guess our church is bigger than I thought, because when I walked in there were a lot of empty seats. 

During the homily, Father told a story about Jesus walking around in heaven where people passing told him "Good Morning". Jesus is looking around, wondering why some of the people were there. He was sure that they weren't supposed to be there yet. He went to the Gates & asked St. Paul about it. St. Paul told him that when he told them they couldn't come in yet, they would walk to the back door & Jesus' mom would let them in. 

Many non-Catholics have the idea that we worship Mary and question why we hold her in such high esteem. I think it's a no-brainer. Obviously, Mary is not on the same "level" as God or Jesus, but she did say "yes" and was Jesus' mother. And, since Jesus is the Son of God and is "True God, true man", of course she is the Mother of God. This is not about Mary, but rather about Jesus. Mary is the sign and symbol of Mercy.

Like most mothers, she never stopped believing in her Son, even when she was at the foot of his cross, watching him die. I can't even imagine what that must have been like, or how it really "pierced her heart". There are times when my boys have hurt me deeply by the choices they made, but there just isn't any comparison to what Mary must have felt. I just can't even imagine knowing that your son was put on this earth to sacrifice himself for humans who aren't worthy.

We shouldn't get caught up in "who should & shouldn't be", but just give it all to God. This is something I struggle with daily. The injustices of the world, heck, of life in general, get to me sometimes. Why does someone get away with not following the rules when there are those of us who insist on being "rule-followers"? Why do some people at work do the minimal when others are busting their butts to be better educators?

One of my goals this year is to "let go & let God". I find myself in church, judging other people: Doesn't that woman know that she's not supposed to be chewing gum during Mass? Why did those parents let their teenage daughter wear spaghetti straps to Midnight Mass? I have to leave all of that to God & focus on what I'm doing; how I'm living my life. That is one of the major things I'll be working on this year.

What is something that you will work on changing this year?