Take as Much as You Want

Shortly before Christmas we purchased a bird feeder. Our youngest son has taken an interest in bird watching. The bird feeder was very simple and attached to the window of our prayer room. On a few occasions a bird was seen feeding but it was a rare sight. The food we put also never seemed to disappear. Today things changed. 

Recently I have been wanting to do a day of silence and a recent illness that has kept me home seemed to open the door for just such a day today. Thus sitting in the prayer room, I began to notice birds coming to the feeder. A brilliantly red cardinal caught my eye and then the mate which was a brown color with a red beak. At first the birds seemed nervous and approached cautiously. They perched and were quick to fly away. A sparrow came and fluttered even fearing to land. But as the day progressed the birds got more bold. They came and ate their fill. When the feeder became empty we were happy to refill it. To see the birds eating made the kids and I happy. Sitting in the prayer room the following Scripture came to mind:

"Do not worry about your life, what you will eat [or drink], or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?"(Matthew 6:25-26)

It seemed interesting to me that today of all days the birds would discover the feeder. Sometimes Our Lord helps us to understand things too complicated for us by allowing us to observe certain things in Nature. Today in prayer, I began to see the birds in many ways as souls who may come to Our Lord hungry. While the birds may be struggling at this time of year to find food on the ground or in the trees, since our recent snow cover, here was an abundance of food only waiting to be eaten. Likewise, does God stand with an armful of grace only waiting for us to come to Him in prayer and ask for it? Today with a day of silence there was more time to appreciate such things. There was time to be quiet. Many of us think about the New Year and think of physical conditioning but the New Year is also a time for conditioning of the Spirit. 

Recently in starting to read the book by Cardinal Sarah, "The Power of Silence" there were many observations made in regard to the fruits of silence. Here is one observation made in the book: No prophet ever encountered God without withdrawing into solitude and silence....The true desert is within us, in our soul.

Grace is available to each one of us. May we make good use of our time. God is generous with us and invites us to ask and promises that we will receive. (cf. Matthew 7:7)

May God bless you this New Year.

Avenue of Grace

Children's Rosary at St. Marguerite Parish

Recently one of our Children's Rosary group leaders forwarded me a recent article that had been written about the Children's Rosary in the official Diocesan Newspaper for the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut USA.  One of the things that stood out to me were the words from the Pastor of the Parish where we have a Children's Rosary group.  Father Cutler the Pastor of St. Marguerite Parish in Brookfield, Connecticut shared,
"The Children's Rosary group, is a wonderful avenue of grace not only to the children themselves, but also to the parish as a whole!"  This was such a beautiful thing to hear from a pastor where a Children's Rosary exists.  Indeed other Children's Rosary groups have shared that they too have seen blessings and a renewal taking place both in their families and their parishes.

Father Cutler also spoke of the importance of the Rosary.  He said, "The Rosary helps children and adults counteract today's narcissistic culture that foolishly says that we should look out for ourselves first. The Rosary is the school that teaches us how to be disciples of Christ formed in the Immaculate Heart of the Mother of God and our mother!"  

Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary 
What is the Rosary?
Children's Rosary Book

How Can We Increase Our Trust in God?

Children's Rosary at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church
 in Brentwood, CA

The Rosary is an incredible source of blessings and assistance for us.  Each of the mysteries of the Rosary has a beautiful fruit attached to it.  The fruit of praying the third Luminous Mystery (the Proclamation of the Kingdom of God) is Repentence and Trust in God.  In St. John Paul's Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, one of the Scripture passages he references in relation to the third Luminous Mystery is Mark 2:3-13.  This passage was read in the Gospel today at daily Mass. 

In this passage there is a paralytic man seeking to approach Jesus.  The crowd gathered in the house where Jesus was present filled the space.  The faith of those carrying the paralytic man was so great that they climbed onto the roof and made a hole lowering the man on a mat before Jesus.  Because of this great act of faith, Jesus is moved to proclaim that the man's sins are forgiven and subsequently heals the man of all infirmity and the man rises and walks out carrying his mat.  Indeed a great trust and confidence in God unlocks a great many graces.  In the Diary of St. Faustina it is written: "The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive. Souls that trust boundlessly are a great comfort to Me, because I pour all the treatsures of My graces into them" (Diary of St. Faustina 1578)

Therefore it is indeed a wonderful gift to know that while we are praying the Rosary and contemplating the third Luminous Mystery of the Rosary our own trust in Our Lord is being strengthened.  To look at little children still so young and tender and think of their own innocent trust being strengthened and directed to their Heavenly Father is great indeed.

Friday January 16th
Children's Rosary at St. Mary's School in Orange TX 7:05 AM CT
Children's Rosary at St. Mary's School in Pontiac, IL at 9AM CT 
Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate Lagos, Nigeria 1PM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Marguerite's Parish in Brookfield, CT 4PM ET
Saturday January 17th
Children's Rosary of St. Michael the Archangel Parish and held in the Kibera slum in Langatta Nairobi Kenya 10 local time
Children's Rosary at St. Mary's Church in Corvallis, Oregon 12 PM PT
Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate Lagos, Nigeria 1PM ET
Children's Rosary at the Daughters of Charity Convent in Bridgeport, CT 2:30 PM ET
Sunday January 18th  
Children's Rosary at Our Lady and St. Patrick's Parish in Nottingham, England 9AM local time (4AM ET)

Children's Rosary at Assumption Church in Umoja, Kenya 7AM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Thomas Church in Thomaston CT 11AM ET

Children's Rosary at St. Patrick's Church in Tacoma, WA 11:30 AM PST

Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate Lagos, Nigeria 1PM ET
Children's Rosary at the Daughters of Charity Convent in Bridgeport, CT 2:30 PM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Anthony Church in Lorain, Ohio 3PM ET in front of the Blessed Sacrament

Monday January 19th

Children's Rosary at Our Lady of Grace Home for Children in Meru, Kenya 10AM ET
Children's Rosary at Holy Trinity Academy in Shenandoah, PA 12:20 PM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate Lago Nigeria 1PM ET
Children's Rosary at Holy Family Church in Gladstone Michigan 4:30PM  ET
Children's Rosary at St. John the Evangelist Church in Mahopac, New York 4:30 PM 

Children's Rosary at St. Patrick's Church in Kennett Square, PA 5:45PM ET. This group meets in front of the Blessed Sacrament

Tuesday January 20th

Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate, Lagos Nigeria 1PM ET
Children's Rosary at Holy Redeemer Parish in Menominee, Michigan 6PM ET

Wednesday January 21st
Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate, Lagos Nigeria 1PM ET
Thursday January 22nd
Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate Lagos Nigeria 1PM ET
The Children's Rosary at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Brentwood, California will meet at 6:30 PM ET in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

The Children's Rosary at St. Martin Church in Kingsville, Texas will meet at 6:30 PM

"Simple Children Asking Our Loving God for Great Things"

Children's Rosary in Corvallis, Oregon

Recently I received a wonderful little note from our Children's Rosary group leader at St. Mary's Church in Corvallis, Oregon.  The group leader is a father and began the group on November 2nd of 2013.  Since beginning the group, only his two children have attended.  They meet each Saturday at 9AM PT in a little library within the Church.  The children kneel before a large picture of Our Lady.  Despite the fact that their group has remained small, just the two of them, the children have remained faithful to their meetings.  

This past weekend the children had a wonderful surprise another little girl joined them.  They were so excited and the family shared that they would like to attend each week.  Such a gift for the two sweet children and their father who have always hoped more children would come.  The father spoke so beautifully in his note of the grace he has come to experience through the Children's Rosary. I asked his permission to share his note:

"It feels like God's grace is like a flood ready to pour out and He gives us the little latch of simple, confident prayer to open the floodgates."

"It is beautiful that God wants to pour out so much grace upon this world, but He respects our free will and He also wants us to share and collaborate in His work of redemption, so He does not force His grace upon the world.  Rather He asks us for simple things like prayer and sacrifice as the little keys that unlock the gates and allow the flood of grace to pour out into so many souls.  Once we see that God has given us these little keys, we feel bolder and stronger to ask bold and great things from God because He wants them.  We are not trying to twist His arm to help us rather we are confidently asking our loving Father for all the good things that He wants to give to us, knowing that all He wants for us is to ask with trust and be patient and persevering to allow God to act in His time.  This is the beauty of the Children's Rosary is that it is simple children asking our loving Father for great things that His heart so wants to give to us."

Other posts you may enjoy:
How Can One Draw Himself Away from Love of the World?
How to Start a Children's Rosary

God's Grace

"God's grace is always greater than the prayer which sought it. The Lord always grants more than what He has been asked," adding, "you ask Him to remember you, and He brings you into his Kingdom!" -Pope Francis (November 24th 2013 homily)

Graces Given To Those Who Honor Mary’s Sorrows

THE SEVEN GRACES GIVEN TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT MEDITATE ON THE SEVEN SORROWS OF THE VIRGIN MARY
(As revealed to Saint Bridget by the Blessed Mother)

Jesus taken down from the Cross

1. I will grant peace to their families.
2. They will be englightened about the divine mysteries.
3. I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.
4. I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.
5. I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.
6. I will visibly help them at the moment of their death, they will see the face of their Mother.
7. I have obtained(This Grace) from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my   tears and dolors, will be taken directly from the earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.

Burial of Jesus

St. Alphonsus Liguori testifies to complementary revelations given by Our Lord to St. Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231) where Jesus further promises four special graces to those dedicated to the sufferings of the co-redeeming Mother: 

1. That those who before death invoke the Blessed Mother in the name of her sorrows, should obtain true repentance of all their sins.

2. That He would protect in their tribulations all who remember this devotion, and that He would protect them especially at the hour of death.

3. That He would impress upon their minds the remembrance of His Passion, and that they should have their reward for it in Heaven.

4. That He would commit such devout clients to the hands of Mary, so that she might obtain for these souls all the graces she wanted to lavish upon them.

Devotion to Our Lady's Sorrows