good for the soul

Fortnight for Freedom

It’s about religious freedom, y’all, and it’s nothing to sit back and take lightly.

“The challenge facing you, dear friends, is to increase people’s awareness of the importance for society of religious freedom; to defend that freedom against those who would take religion out of the public domain and establish secularism as America’s official faith.  And it is vitally necessary for the very survival of the American experience, to transmit to the next generation the precious legacy of religious freedom and the convictions which sustain it.”—  Blessed John Paul II, 1995 Baltimore, Basilica of the Assumption 

Read what the USCCB recommends…a prayer for religious freedom, videos, other resources here.

choirs of angels

I’m sure you’ve heard the admonition to be kind to strangers…you might be entertaining angels. It sounds just like the kind of stuff I hear all the time in the South. Kind of like the lady at the drive-thru that always wishes me a blessed day.

I’m pretty sure I had one such encounter not too long ago, with a woman who was in my office, and then suddenly gone. Who knows….

But did you know that saying is not some Southernism (well, it probably is), it’s actually scriptural? Like, from The Bible?!

Yes, here it is:

Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels. Hebrews 13:2

How about that? It makes me think about how I treat people….And how I should do it for the sake of kindness and goodness, and not because I’m afraid of getting caught off guard. You know, like the real measure of a person is what they do when no one is watching.

Anyway, kindness and goodness and the general nature of loving other people is a lovely two-way street. A blessing to give…and to receive.

Especially when it feels like I’ve been visited by angels all day 🙂

Happy 50th Anniversary!

You two are GOLDEN!

These are my folks. Aren’t they adorable?

They are still in love after all these years. My dad torments my mom with all kinds of silly antics…

But she still follows him wherever he leads.

you know May is the month of Mary

I had a crazy long week. It’s a good thing my work week is Monday -Thursday. Let me say that sounds gross during the week when you realize how long the day is, but when Friday morning rolls around…yeah, that’s a good thing.

I usually pray the rosary on the way to work in the morning. Let me tell you, it’s better than the trash on the contemporary music channels, and let’s not even discuss the shock jocks. I’ve learned to love my morning talk with Mary through the rosary. Much better than talk radio!

So this morning I got started with my usual rosary and stopped after barely getting started to take a call. It seemed that every time I went back to thinking about the rosary I got distracted by little fires that I had to put out (okay, see that? go ahead and follow how metaphorical that is).

At any rate, it was quite late in the day, actually on my way home, that I pulled out my little companion and set myself to concentrating, as best I could in traffic, on the rosary and Thursday’s mysteries. The luminous mysteries are my favorite…it has very little to do with BL. JPII although I remember well the controversy at the time he introduced these mysteries. There was some resistance in my circles in the order of “how dare he change the rosary” (well, it was a pretty bold move, but oh so logical — I’ll amuse my theology buds and actually suggest you read Rosarium Virginis Mariae — I know, close your mouth, sometimes I really do read this stuff on my own).

I don’t claim any particular illumination (heh-heh) beyond the fact that they resonated beautifully for me. In fact, I have to say, it was because of the luminous mysteries that I gave the rosary another serious whirl, and I’ve been hooked ever since. The problem was, and still is, that I have a terrible time memorizing things like lists, or movie lines, or prayers. I have to employ a gazillion mnemonic devices, and hope they work…but I learned that if I associate a particular mystery with a family member or friend, then I can remember them (both! the mystery and the person for whom to pray).

There’s something really very sweet and satisfying about praying for others, whether it’s a specific intention or just offering those prayers for anonymous souls who need them. I thought I’d share a little peek into my commute and why I love these mysteries…

The First Mystery of Light, the Baptism of Our Lord: for the longest time, I would recall the baptism of my children to remind me of this mystery. I always think that when God’s voice was heard say ing “this is my beloved Son” it was the jarring moment for me, in a slow reversion process, to wake up and begin to get it. More recently I’ve come to associate it with a friend who teaches an awful lot on baptism and living the promises and graces that come from it.

The Second Mystery of Light, the Miracle at the Wedding of Cana: this mystery clarified for me the whole misunderstanding so many people have about Mary, and especially the rosary. When Mary says “do what He tells you” it was another a-ha moment for me…the focus being on Jesus, and listening to Him. These days, when I get to this mystery I think of a friend getting married soon.

The Third Mystery of Light, the Proclamation of the Kingdom of God: this one, too, was quite powerful. It is when Jesus begins his public ministry, but for me was the recognition of this call to conversion, and so important to me, how it is also about reconciliation and hope. I often think of the work I do in new media, and the wonderful people I’ve come to know, in real life, and through social media — and pray for them all, the ones I know, and perhaps most especially, the ones I’ll never know.

The Fourth Mystery of Light, the Transfiguration: This one is my favorite mystery (I have a close second, but this one wins). Jesus reveals himself to a few of his disciples, and it is in this mystery that I was able to pin down my own yearning and desire to know God. It is what I was desiring all along…and the mystery upon which I meditate most fervently, for myself and for others, to increase my holiness, and to understand…

…The Fifth Mystery of Light, the Institution of the Eucharist. Well, it all leads to this, no? The source and summit of our faith!

Thanks for coming on the commute with me. Do you have a favorite mystery or mysteries of the Rosary?

loving my new journal!

Simone Martini, fresco detail depicting Saint ...
Simone Martini, fresco detail depicting Saint Clare of Assisi, (1322–26), Lower basilica of San Francesco, Assisi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Today’s little piece of inspiration from my journal comes from St. Clare of Assisi:

May we love one another with the charity of Christ. May the love that we have in our hearts show itself in our actions. And may our love and example increase love of and charity for one another in all places. Amen.

Wow. I wish I had read that this morning, instead of after lunch. It’s my own fault for changing my writing routine…it would have been an awesome companion to my morning devotion.  But…there it is. Now, when I’m doing this 🙂

I read it over and over as I prepared to write…because it doesn’t say for “those people you like.” It says “for one another in all places.”

That’s what makes being a Christian so hard — that crazy call to love one another. To love, if I may say so, the unlovable. It’s the hardest thing we have to do, and it’s what Jesus commanded us to do. In all places.

another rainy day

It’s another rainy day here in good ole Georgia. I love the rain. It’s a crazy thing to tell people, especially those people who crave sunlight and light and all that airiness.

Don’t misunderstand, I like the light! I like the big open windows in my living room, but there’s something about a rainy day that makes me just a little more productive, a little more reflective, and generally, a little more calm.

My brain is always going a mile a minute, moreso lately with some new responsibilities, and I relish the opportunity to slow down a little and just be.

The rain has a way of getting under my skin and into my blood…I find the rhythm in the rain, and it has a lullaby affect on me.

It is beautiful. It is life. And I relish it.

So don’t be all mopey on such a lovely day.

There’s usually a rainbow after all the rain. God promised.

Never let anything so fill you with sorrow as to make you forget the joy of the risen Christ! ~ Mother Teresa

what’s a little mud among friends

I took this picture in the chapel, where I promised to bring several intentions this morning. It was dark and I lit the first candle.

I left the house in a giant rainstorm, and for the first hour here in the chapel, I could see the driving rain through the big picture window behind the altar. At  mid-morning the gray sky and some ominous black clouds dimmed the light inside, and muted the green of the trees outside.

As I was praying the sorrowful mysteries, I kept looking over the tree tops to see if the rain would stop so I could catch a glimpse of a rainbow. The rain continued to fall, and I found myself fingering the silver beads to a musical beat from the rain dripping off the eaves.

It was hypnotic and oddly comforting, like a heartbeat providing a steady soundtrack for my prayers. The rain eventually slowed down to a gentle shower, like it had spent itself in a passionate outburst. Having calmed down and recovered, it was getting down to the business of reviving all the parched trees and grass.

I couldn’t wait to go outside later and see how lush and refreshed everything would be. It’s like the earth is renewed and we’re given a new playground to begin again.

Yes, Margaret, I played in the mud, too.

St. Teresa and lint in my pocket

I usually carry a rosary in my pocket, especially when I’m at work. It’s not a good luck charm, don’t think that. I just happen to be devoted to this beautiful prayer, and sometimes I’ll start a rosary and get interrupted and will return to it later.

It means I have rosaries scattered all over the place. In my car. In my briefcase. In random pockets. Hanging on my computer screen. On the bulletin board in the kitchen. On a plaque my sister gave me. In my purse (um, I don’t use a purse very often). Several on my desk. Too much? You get the picture.

The rosary pictured is my go-to rosary…it’s short and the beads are spaced just right. It also survives a run through the washing machine quite well, lol. Who knew I was a connoisseur of rosaries? Makes me laugh a little, but it’s true. It fits my hand just right so it’s usually in the console of my car and accompanies me to work.

It also makes for mad dashes to the laundry basket when I forget to put it back in the console at the end of the day. That happened to me yesterday. I went to reach for the rosary in the afternoon and came up with lint. I had once again misplaced the rosary. Luckily, I had my handy dandy Steelers rosary hanging from the rearview (odd, you might ask? it doesn’t get much use, but daily smiles when I see it).

Anyway, the missing rosary led me on a wild goose chase through dirty clothes, stacks of papers, and finally, a little basket full of flash drives, holy cards, and paper clips. Oh, and a medal of St. Teresa of Avila that I have had for a couple of years and kept taking out and tossing back into the little basket. I think she finally had enough of me claiming her as my patron saint and not giving her any attention.

Sorry about that, dear Terry. I hope you like where I moved you.