Octave of Easter and Divine Mercy

What a wonderful Easter! I only just learned about the Via Lucis--the Way of Light--and it is so wonderful meditating on the Resurrection and all that He promises. From Mary Magdalene mistaking the Risen Christ for the gardener to recognizing Him (Noli me tangere by Fra Bartolomeo) to telling the disciples, "I have seen the Lord!" Peter and John running to the empty tomb (Disciples Running by Eugene Burnard) and discovering the folded napkin (it means He's coming back) to the Apostles receiving the power to forgive sins and Thomas believing because he can see and touch our Lord (Incredulity of Thomas by Caravaggio). I am so grateful for Confession, where our Lord's Divine Mercy is poured out on us, making us as new as the day of our baptism. 

Some pictures from our Easter Octave: a visit with my friend from CA, practice with my quartet, Adoration, singing at a wedding, enjoying a meal out, meeting the kids at a brewery (very important for Michael's research), and with my barbershop sisters, dancing on the pier! Every day I am grateful to God for bringing us to beautiful Charleston, where we've grown so much in our faith, thanks to our good and holy priests and our friends.

June: Humble like Jesus or Proud like Satan

June is the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, He Who is meek and humble, who poured out every drop of His Precious Blood to save us from our sins. I find it increasingly ironic that in our culture June is dedicated to Pride--a capital sin, most opposed to humility. And it is indeed pride that makes some people think they know better than the God Who created them. Sigh. I truly, truly feel sad for the people who cannot appreciate the body they are in, but to think that physicians promote giving them hormones or surgery to heal their deep wounds is criminal. From the very beginning this diabolical experiment (at Johns Hopkins and recounted in As Nature Made Him by John Colapinto) was filled with lies. I wept reading this book many years ago and I couldn't bear to talk about it. But we mustn't stay silent. What a tragedy, both twins, Brian and David Reimer, took their lives from the trauma they endured at the hands of the medical establishment. And increasingly, they target children. 

The plethora of books for little ones with LGBTQ content is unbelievable. I presented ways to counter this at a Write2Ignite conference prior to the lockdowns. I don't know how an industry dedicated to children has become so corrupt as to blithely harm them. Today is the Feast of Charles Lwanga and his companions, who were tortured for their refusal to engage in homosexual acts with the king. It went against their newfound Catholic faith, which they refused to give up, and for this they were killed. This old article from Fr. Rutler is ever relevant today: New Advent: Ours has become a neo-pagan culture, and that can be even worse than a simple pagan culture 

This is why I was so pleased to read in the Federalist Louisiana Catholics Resist The ‘Pride’ Infiltration Of Their Town (thefederalist.com) that people are fighting back. They take the emblem of the Vendée martyrs (French Revolution).

Oh, Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in YOU! Save us!

Easter, the Annunciation, and the Solar Eclipse

What a wonderful Easter Octave it has been! So much to celebrate. First Friday Mass is in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus followed by Divine Mercy Sunday. Fr. Jeffrey Kirby had a lovely meditation on how the message of both is the same: God's love for each and every one of us. Divine Mercy and the Sacred Heart Share a Common Message| National Catholic Register (ncregister.com) And then came the solar eclipse on the Feast of the Annunciation! I was so grateful I received the grace to get up early to hear morning Mass at St. Clare of Assisi and renew my consecration to Jesus through Mary. After Mass, the priest invited us to take some of the flowers home as well as venerate the relics of several saints: two of St. Clare of Assisi, one each of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Bernadette of Lourdes, St. Francis Xavier Seelos, and the True Cross. Oh, to have these powerful friends in heaven praying for us, interceding to our Lord! It is true what my kids say--I have more friends in heaven than on earth :) 

Catholicism is full of strange practices, but they all make sense because they are steeped in truth and point to Truth Himself. The Immaculate Conception, the Annunciation, the Incarnation, the Passion, the Resurrection, the Eucharist, the Redemption--you can't make this stuff up. Fr. Raymond de Souza had another beautiful meditation, how the moon is like Mary, the sun, her Son: The Eclipse and the Annunciation - The Catholic Thing. Yet, Mary never eclipses her Son, so there the analogy fails. My first thought was how Mary hid Christ within herself for nine months. The Holy Family led a hidden life in Nazareth until Jesus begins His public ministry and revelation. All I can say is the beginning of Psalm 19: The heavens declare the glory of God!!! And the firmament showeth His handiwork. Here I am, Lord; I come to do Your Will. 

Below some pictures from my family. My sister (in Texas) said it was a cloudy day but every so often the clouds would part and they could see with their naked eyes the moon shadowing the sun. I really loved the colors. My sister-in-law, also in Texas, sent us this picture of her red lily! So pretty! It reminded me of the Sacred Heart of Jesus! And His Sacred Blood! Oh how He lets me know how much He loves me.  

Max and Dagny sent these from Washington DC and N. Charleston respectively. It was sunny in Charleston so Michael got the colander out. I love seeing the crescent sun patterns. It was a warm day but I could feel the temperature drop during the eclipse. And there wasn't any discernable change in the behavior of the animals, like the last time: Vijaya Bodach: Solar Eclipse 2017  

Please do share your thoughts and pictures if you got to see the 2024 eclipse. 

Divine Mercy Sunday

Divine Mercy image in Vilnius
Eugeniusz Kazimirowski (1873-1939)

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!!! This Sunday goes by several names: Low Sunday, Quasimodo Sunday, and Divine Mercy Sunday, and it's that last one that I will focus on.

But first, we've been enjoying fresh strawberries so I couldn't resist posting a picture of the three lovely and united Hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph again.

Heart of Jesus, I adore Thee.

Heart of Mary, I implore thee.

Heart of Joseph, pure and just,

in these three hearts

I place my trust.

Amen.

Sister Faustina Maria Pia of the Sisters for Life composed this Litany of Trust. May it give you child-like confidence in our Lord's unfathomable love and mercy. 

Litany of Trust

From the belief that I have to earn Your love … Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear that I am unlovable … Deliver me, Jesus.

From the false security that I have what it takes … Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear that trusting You will leave me more destitute … Deliver me, Jesus.

From all suspicion of Your words and promises … Deliver me, Jesus.

From the rebellion against childlike dependency on You … Deliver me, Jesus.

From refusals and reluctances in accepting Your will … Deliver me, Jesus.

From anxiety about the future … Deliver me, Jesus.

From resentment or excessive preoccupation with the past … Deliver me, Jesus.

From restless self-seeking in the present moment … Deliver me, Jesus.

From disbelief in Your love and presence … Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being asked to give more than I have … Deliver me, Jesus.

From the belief that my life has no meaning or worth … Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of what love demands … Deliver me, Jesus.

From discouragement … Deliver me, Jesus.

That You are continually holding me, sustaining me, loving me … Jesus, I trust in you.

That Your love goes deeper than my sins and failings, and transforms me …Jesus, I trust in you.

That not knowing what tomorrow brings is an invitation to lean on You … Jesus, I trust in you.

That You are with me in my suffering … Jesus, I trust in you.

That my suffering, united to Your own, will bear fruit in this life and the next …Jesus, I trust in you.

That You will not leave me orphan, that You are present in Your Church…Jesus, I trust in you.

That Your plan is better than anything else … Jesus, I trust in you.

That You always hear me, and in Your goodness always respond to me …Jesus, I trust in you.

That You give me the grace to accept forgiveness and to forgive others …Jesus, I trust in you.

That You give me all the strength I need for what is asked …Jesus, I trust in you.

That my life is a gift … Jesus, I trust in you.

That You will teach me to trust You … Jesus, I trust in you.

That You are my Lord and my God … Jesus, I trust in you.

That I am Your beloved one … Jesus, I trust in you.

Amen.

So that you may have a greater understanding of Divine Mercy, I share these excellent links: God's Perfect Mercy - A Meditation for Divine Mercy Sunday - Community in Mission (adw.org) and The Last Hope of Salvation? - The Now Word (markmallett.com) and Two for Divine Mercy Sunday - The Catholic Thing. Pax Christi Domini!

Divine Mercy

Divine Mercy by Kazimirowski, 1934

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday, instituted by Pope St. John Paul II in AD 2000. I find it fascinating that particular devotions arise when they are most needed. I've only read excerpts of St. Faustina's diary but these words of our Lord Jesus to St. Faustina fill me with great hope and so I share them with you:

I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the signature: "Jesus, I trust in You." Diary 327 

Let all mankind recognize My unfathomable mercy. It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the day of justice. Diary 848

Souls perish in spite of My bitter Passion. I am giving them the last hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy. If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity… tell souls about this great mercy of Mine, because the awful day, the day of My justice, is near. Diary 965

He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice... Diary 1146

And this last one is scary, no? Who wants to face His Justice? I know I deserve hell for what I've done. It is precisely because hell exists that we need Divine Mercy. I love that the final prayers are the same as the ones in the Reproaches that we sing on Good Friday: Sanctus Deus. Sanctus Fortis. Sanctus Immolatus, miserere nobis.  For I am washed clean in His Blood. He reached into the pit of sin and drew me out of it...and though I sin again and again, He is patient with me, absolving me, strengthening me. And with His Grace, I am able to conquer some of my sins. And I am confident that what He has begun in me He will perfect, so that I can be the person He created me to be. So, run, run to Jesus! Fling yourself into His Arms and tell Him you trust in His Merciful Love. I love 33 Days to Merciful Love by Fr. Gaitley because it gives me so much confidence and trust in our Lord. He uses the spirituality of St. Therese of Lisieux. She's one of my favorite companions.

Unlike the Rosary, which has Mysteries attached, and one can picture them, the Divine Mercy chaplet has none, making it far too easy to be thinking about dinner—what is it about the 3 o’clock hour that makes one so distracted? Meggie Daly comes to the rescue with a book that allows you to focus on our Lord’s Passion. In her signature fashion, she has Sacred Art for each decade and a line from the Passion narrative for each bead allowing you to walk with Christ. Her organization is brilliant—three sequences of five each from the Gospels of St. Matthew, St. John, and St. Luke, another set of three sequences of five using Stations of the Cross with her own original prayers, and finally combining both the Rosary and the Divine Mercy chaplet. On any particular day, we can choose what elements of the Passion we’d like to focus on. And with practice, we might begin to do this mentally by ourselves.
Just like Ms. Daly composed a Scriptural Rosary book, which I also have, she has now composed one for the Divine Mercy chaplet, the only book of its kind. Thank you, Meggie, for writing this most necessary book. I pray this chaplet more often now thanks to this book.

There is no other book like FOR THE SAKE OF HIS SORROWFUL PASSION. It’s a most necessary and useful aid to praying the Divine Mercy chaplet with several options of entering the Passion narrative. Part confession, part history, part prayer book—I love it all.

May Celebrations

My heart is so full of thanks and praise to our Lord. Max has graduated from Ave Maria University magna cum laude, one of five finalists for the President's Award. Dagny had a birthday. I am no longer the mother of teenagers :) We had such a lovely week in Florida visiting with some of the kids' friends, their parents, the staff and professors at AMU. And still there was time to be quiet and read and pray. It was lovely to end the visit with a trip to the beach and receive gifts from the sea.

We're all home together for a little while before Max settles in DC for work at Keybridge Communications. He'll be writing a LOT and I'm sure soon he'll be teaching me. We're grateful Dagny has an internship with a local company: Heron Farms. This came directly out of our interest in hydroponics. Dagny applied and voila! It'll be wonderful for her to apply what she's learning in school to real-world problems. Michael and I continue to work from home and sing at church. Speaking of, we celebrate Ascension Thursday and the anniversary of Marian apparitions at Fatima with a High Mass. A happy Feast Day to all. Where He is, we hope to follow!

The Baccalaureate Mass was the high point of the celebrations. The priest emphasized that although there are many unknowns to not fill ourselves with fear and anxiety but to trust in the Lord who loves us and wants us to be happy. He knows what we need and will provide. Let go of pride and worry. Practice self-sacrifice. Remain in Him. All will be well for those who love Jesus. The one word that encapsulated his beautiful homily was: TRUST. It immediately brought to me the image of Divine Mercy and the prayer: Jesus, I trust in YOU.