Spring Happenings

Hello, Hello!

I hope you had a blessed Easter!

Ours was very nice. 

We started out with Mass at Holy Cross.  Our first Easter Mass there.  We are both starting to feel very much at home there. 

My brother and sister-in-law went to visit her Louisiana family, but all their kids came by and Mike made some ribs on the pit.  Baby Girl, Baby Boy and Honey Boy all hunted eggs.  Mike even played a game of Chutes and Ladders with the twins. 

It was a beautiful day.

Last week Mom and I picked up the twins from pre-k and took them to the park and McDonalds. 

We had a good time with those little tykes.  It was nice to get Mom out.  She watched as I climed the jungle gym with the kids and pushed them on the swings.

Then we decided to go to another side of the park. 

Mom gave them the Easter present she bought for them.  They were so cute because they kept saying, "We really like our presents Grandma!!"  So sweet.  And like every Grandparent, it meant the world to her that she pleased them.

Now that all the Easter fun is over we decided we would try to clean out the little room. 

I got sidetracked by a project so we didn't get very far but we should be able to complete either the project or the room by the end of the weekend.

I would like to finish this post with a song I intended to post yesterday, but the day just passed by too quickly.

This song reminds me of what I call our church home, the church where we prepared for marriage, where Ronnie received his Sacraments and where we were married.  It was such an incredible time in our lives and this song always takes me back.

Last one...I promise.

I pray every one has a wonderful, peaceful, safe week!

Good Friday

What about Mary

Holy Thursday

Well, as you have probably noticed, this weeks blog posts are reflections on Christ.

I pray you have enjoyed these posts.

I share today's post only to share our faith with you.

But, just in case you aren't into that, you might want to wait to check back til, oh say, the middle of next week.

For those of you that are still reading, I hope you enjoy this explanation of what Holy Thursday means to those of us that are Catholic and why this day is so special to us. 

"Except for the resurrection on Easter, Holy Thursday is possibly one of the most important, complex, and profound days of celebration in the Catholic Church. Holy Thursday celebrates the institution of the Eucharist as the true body and blood of Jesus Christ and the institution of the sacrament of the priesthood.

During the Last Supper, Jesus offers himself as the Passover sacrifice, the sacrificial lamb, and teaches that every ordained priest is to follow the same sacrifice in the exact same way. Christ also bids farewell to his followers and prophesizes that one of them will betray him and hand him over to the Roman soldiers.

Around the world, Bishops and priests come together at their local Cathedrals on Holy Thursday morning to celebrate the institution of the priesthood. During the Mass, the bishop blesses the Oil of Chrism that will be used for Baptism, Confirmation, and Anointing of the sick or dying.

At this Mass, the bishop washes the feet of twelve priests to symbolize Christ’s washing of his twelve Apostles, our first bishops and priests.

Later that night, after sundown – because Passover began at sundown- the Holy Thursday Liturgy takes place, marking the end of Lent and the beginning of the sacred "Triduum,” or three, of Holy Week. These days are the three holiest days in the Catholic Church.

This Mass stresses the importance Jesus puts on the humility of service, and the need for cleansing with water, a symbol of baptism. Also emphasized are the critical importance of the Eucharist and the sacrifice of Christ’s Body, which we now find present in the consecrated Host.

At the conclusion of the Mass, the faithful are invited to continue Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament throughout the night, just as the disciples were invited to stay up with the Lord during His agony in the garden before His betrayal by Judas.

After Holy Thursday, no Mass will be celebrated again in the Church until the Easter Vigil celebrates and proclaims the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ."

source

It is such a beautiful Mass. 

Every year I am touched by the number of people that stay with Jesus through Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. 

It seems that after all these years I would have somehow become immune to it. 

But I do not. Every year my amazement intensifies.  Every year my sorrow for what I know followed the last supper becomes deeper and deeper. 

I don't know how to explain it but it is such an incredible feeling because I know that soon that feeling will turn into the joy of the Resurrection.   

God Bless!

It's Never Too Late

Hello there!

It is a beautiful day here in Texas. 

And quite typical of Texas weather.  If I look out our french doors to the back yard I see the beautiful sun rising.  If I look out our side door to the dog run, there are some dark, moody looking rain clouds.  Which will it be today?  Sunshine or rain.  Sunshine I hope. 

Well, it is the week before Easter, Holy week. 

I love Lent and Holy week.  Both can serve as sort of a reboot to our prayer life.  I especially love Holy week.  It is a time of gratitude and thanks and solemn reflection for me, a time for me to really try to grasp what he went through...for us. 

Maybe the Lenten season whizzed past you.  It went pretty quickly for me. 

Maybe you would have liked to fast more or spend more time in prayer or doing good deeds.  I know I wanted to.

Today, I am here to say, "It isn't too late."  It is never too late.  He always hears us and is always happy hear from us.  Bask in His love for you.

Peace be with you.

Sunday Song

Remembering

Warning:  This song is set to images from the movie The Passion of the Christ, some of which are very graphic.