Our Lady of the Annunciation, pray for us!

This prayer is from the Invitatory on DivineOffice.org:

Prayer to Our Lady of the Annunciation

Queen of heaven and earth,
daughter of the Father,
Mother of the divine Son,
spouse of the Holy Spirit,

I praise God for the unique grace given to you.
Mary, you became the great Mother of our divine Savior,
our Master, true Light of the world,
uncreated Wisdom, source of all truth and first Apostle of truth.
You gave the world the book to read, the eternal Word.

For this I bless the holy Trinity
and I ask you to obtain for me
the grace of heavenly wisdom,
to be a fervent disciple of Jesus
and to be lovingly devoted to the Church,
the pillar of truth.

Make the light of the Gospel
shine to the farthest bounds of the earth.
Queen of the Apostles, pray for us!

Prayer Source: Fr. James Alberione SSP

A Poem for March

Written in March

THE cock is crowing,
The stream is flowing,
The small birds twitter,
The lake doth glitter
The green field sleeps in the sun;
The oldest and youngest
Are at work with the strongest;
The cattle are grazing,
Their heads never raising;
There are forty feeding like one!

Like an army defeated
The snow hath retreated,
And now doth fare ill
On the top of the bare hill;
The plowboy is whooping- anon-anon:
There's joy in the mountains;
There's life in the fountains;
Small clouds are sailing,
Blue sky prevailing;
The rain is over and gone!

William Wordsworth

Snapshot from parish St. Patrick's day party...

from Morning Prayer

READING 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Praised be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all consolation! He comforts us in all our afflictions and thus enables us to comfort those who are in trouble, with the same consolation we have received from him. As we have shared much in the sufferings of Christ, so through Christ do we share abundantly in his consolation.

Loving Christ Jesus

Reading this blog post by Mark Mallett and trying to stay upbeat even though we have a lingering stomach-flu over here. It gives more time for prayer; I wish I had more energy for cleaning.

This post is sure to warm the soul.

from the Liturgy of the Hours

An answer to prayers of late:

"...Be glad then that you are overwhelmed, and do not be saddened because he has overcome you. A thirsty man is happy when he is drinking, and he is not depressed because he cannot exhaust the spring. So let this spring quench your thirst, and not your thirst the spring. For if you can satisfy your thirst without exhausting the spring, then when you thirst again you can drink from it once more; but if when your thirst is sated the spring is also dried up, then your victory would turn to your own harm.

Be thankful then for what you have received, and do not be saddened at all that such an abundance still remains. What you have received and attained is your present share, while what is left will be your heritage. For what you could not take at one time because of your weakness, you will be able to grasp at another if you only persevere. So do not foolishly try to drain in one draught what cannot be consumed all at once, and do not cease out of faintheartedness from what you will be able to absorb as time goes on..."

Second reading
From a commentary on the Diatessaron by Saint Ephrem, deacon
God’s word is an inexhaustible spring of life
Office of Readings 2/13/2011

February Daybook

I am listening to...

Dogs laping up water and circling the kitchen ready to go out after a late breakfast.

I am wearing...

Lots of layers as the rain makes me cold.

I am so grateful for...

My husband's job, my children's strong bodies and active minds, my arthritis.

I'm pondering...

The best possible rhythmn for an inspired, Catholic family life. Every family has different needs, challenges, joys, sorrows that go in to the way they work out their schedule. It is a juggling act; and, we need not work so hard at it that there is no room to let God help us. I find that when I push too hard, all the balls fall.

I am reading...

"The Secret Garden" aloud to our son (so good!) and many other things. I was over reading this post by Elizabeth Foss this morning and it gave me needed time and space to pray and think and breathe about our approach to education, especially religious education. It all starts at home and ends at home.

I am thinking...

So much about how we live and how we might live a better quality of life. I am frustrated by "suburban sprawl" and its difficulties. Catholics see "challenges" and "opportunities" in every circumstance and our adventure of home education has greatly helped in "making lemonade from lemons." I am trying hard to pray, study and think and do little things to help the children and young be prepared for what I think will surely be some very challenging times ahead in our social landscape.

I am creating...

Too much clutter on our main level. I am constantly piling things on the dining room table, kitchen table, and kitchen counters and have plenty of room to organize a little prayer corner and "mini study" up in our master bedroom. I am creating this in my mind, now to get the job done! Like many, we do most of our homeschooling at the kitchen table. I need a new habit of taking things up in the mornings, after coffee and up again in the evenings after tea ("pegging" as many moms call it).

To live the Liturgy...

Jay and I are watching the Ken Burns series on the Civil War off Netflix and tomorrow us the feast day of St. Josephine Bakhita of Sudan so I pulled our Pauline biography off the shelf of this saint and hope to read it over the next couple of days. I hope to make at least one daily Mass this week and to get us AS A FAMILY to Confession. This has been very hard this school year.

I am hoping and praying...

That with our BELOVED pastor leaving that things will work out to give God glory. I am praying for many intentions.

Around the House...

Really need to create the mini study upstairs and keep the main level clutter free.

From the kitchen...

Made a chicken and fresh broccoli casserole last night that was a hit, served with hot buttered rice.

One of my favorite things...

A husband who hoses off the back patio and stepping stones out back on a weekend when he is tending to lots of driving, animal care..."He does things for me, I do things for him" (from an article I read last week on marriage-- I'll add link later,if I think of it).

A few plans for the rest of the week...

So happy with son's ice hockey camp and homeschool ice skating at The Ice here in Cumming. Making plans for upcoming swim team banquet for the girls and big grandparent visit (we have three winter bdays that we will celebrate together). And, need to make small steps every day toward that upstairs space and back to "tried and true" de-clutter habits and add a few new ones, by God's grace.

Picture thoughts...

We are less than two weeks away from a big 10 for our son, and just celebrated the big 13 for JB, so here is this:

You are the hands with which He is to bless men now.

I just found this quote attributed to St. Teresa of Avila in this book:

Christ has no body on earth but yours,
no hands but yours, no feet but yours,
Yours are the eyes through which is to look out
Christ's compassion to the world;
Yours are the feet with which he is to go about
doing good;
Yours are the hands with which he is to bless men now.

His grace is sufficient for the task at hand...

I was over here pausing for a little prayer time and cannot believe how the Scriptures give the good and wise counsel needed for me personally but even down to the exact challenges that I face today.

Here is the concluding prayer, and it is like music to my ears:

Father,
yours is the harvest
and yours is the vineyard:
you assign the task
and pay a wage that is just.
Help us to meet this day’s responsibilities,
and let nothing separate us from your love.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
– Amen.

St. John Bosco, pray for us!

Authentic Compassion

This blog post over at La Salette Journey gives a thought-provoking meditation on compassion. As I prayerfully work out my vocation as a Catholic married woman, I hope that the "fear and trembling" caused by the action of the Holy Spirit clarifies my spiritual vision.

Open my eyes, Lord! Open my ears, Mother!

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!

Queen of Heaven, pray for us!

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

I am posting this link for the amazing artwork included at the bottom of the Wikipedia article. May the Mother of Mercy bring us to Life Everlasting!

Savoring Christmas Memories and Joyful Winter Decluttering....

Is decluttering really a word? It is a wonderful concept. A noble action. Removing clutter, a.k.a. "decluttering," is my 2011 resolution.

Webster's defines "clutter" as both noun and verb. It is "an untidy mess, a state of disorder" or "liter, things left around untidily." As well, to clutter is "to disorder, make untidy."

So, to declutter is to role one's sleeves up and put things in proper order. I like it. I need it. I was just telling the girls that I love seeing the human hope for renewal and improvement that roles around every January. All the shops showcase cleverly designed shelving, colorful storage boxes and some very nice exercise suits. In these North Atlanta suburbs, the air is full of resolution and of home and self improvement.

As Catholics, we pass on to our young the idea that "Hope springs eternal." From the Sacraments, God's grace springs forth giving us baptized faithful life, renewal, strength and reconciliation. We Catholics are called to declutter our souls regularly through daily prayer, good works, frequent reception of our Lord Jesus in the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation (also called Penance and Confession).

We had the beautiful gift of hosting our dear family friends from Miami over Christmas week. Other homeschooling friends joined us for Christmas feasting; and, it was one of the merriest Christmas seasons of my life. My dear sisters in Christ have always shown me the joys of authentic Catholic housekeeping and homeschooling. We all know that joy is not an absence of pain. My personal experience is that joy increases where there is deep and abiding faith. We are up against a culture that challenges our faith on so many levels. But back to Christmas and grace-filled resolutions for 2011...

All of us moms enjoyed revisiting certain practical and spiritual topics; and I felt the quiet, yet powerful, presence of the Holy Spirit in all of the love and friendship of our Christmastide festivities and warm, homey visits. Along side all the festivities with our homeschooling brothers and sisters in Christ, we gathered with grandparents and much loved brothers and sisters in Christ from our parish during Christmastide, including Happy New Year 2011! It was so hard to get back to work and school, but God had a marvelous plan! We had just been back to the "daily grind" for a week when we got a HUGE and wonderful SNOW. We were trapped and I was about as far from "cabin fever" as you can get (I was hoping for more snow!).

As the snowstorm hit ten or so days ago, I was surprised at the blessing of this gift to stay put for a number of days. My houseguests had left the house cleaner than when they came, so I kept the cleaning/decluttering ball rolling. I also gave much more time than usual to quiet and to prayer. I realized how much shopping that I had been doing and how exhausting and depleting that can be for me. With our middle child's 13th birthday this week, we finished our snow days making merry with friends and family again over these past few days.

I know God speaks to us through our friendships and our daily duties and our family ups and downs. The good news for us Sullivans is that 2011 is already, and I pray it continues, a year of rolling up the sleeves and decluttering our souls, our home and our schedule. I learn every year that our sweet Savior and His Blessed Mother, draw us in to their Holy Hearts. Jesus and Mary want us to help them save souls.

An act of housekeeping, a home-cooked meal,a warm embrace from a loved one, a listening ear or kind remark can all be little works of redemption. Wow and Alleluia all at once! We must keep house for Christ and build a strong Mother Church from our little domestic churches. God will bring us guests and make us guests of His awesome Love and Mercy. Jesus burns for love of us, fallen creatures that we are. He wants us to give every possible effort to allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with His Eucharistic Heart. We must, in earnest, ask the Mother of Mercy to hide us in her Immaculate Heart so that we will be properly disposed to receive her Son in a spirit of truth and light. I am reading an excellent treatment of this, The Passion of the Infant Christ, by Caryll Houselander.

Read this book. It could change your life, and we must pray for the grace to be constantly changing and growing. May we all bless God in thought, word and deed. I look forward to all of us making Confession soon, knowing in my heart that Holy Mother Church will declutter her children. I am learning more and more about our Heavenly Father's plan for all of His children. He wants us all to be a new creation in Christ Jesus. We have only to ask our Blessed Mother for her help, and grace will do the work in our souls.

Thank you, Lord Jesus and Mother Mary for all of our many blessings! May the Infant Christ reign in our hearts -- Amen.