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. 

Feasts Days During Lent

Whew! What a week! What a weekend! We had two High Masses, one on Friday to celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation and one for Laetare Sunday--because we're more than halfway through Lent. And last week was also the choir's turn to provide soup and sandwiches for after Stations of the Cross so there's been a LOT of socializing. But it's been lovely. And I could not believe it's the 10th anniversary of my total consecration of Jesus through Mary. JOY! 

I was also finishing up a writing project (secret for now) so it was a great relief to have the writing finished on Thursday before choir practice! Our choir director brought in an original vellum of the chant we'd be singing, penned in the late 15th century. It's only slightly different from what we sang. It's quite large and in medieval times the monks would gather around to sing.  

There was also consecration of Russia and Ukraine. I can't help but think of the Fatima seer, Sister Lucia, who said that Mary told her that by the time the consecration happens, it'll be too late. Pope St. John Paul II had made a consecration that was accepted in heaven but Russia had already spread her errors. And we're already in a war. So I don't know what the most recent consecration will mean. Then there's the little matter of Biden and Obama establishing bioweapons labs in the Ukraine and the never-ending covid crap that continues to be used to usher in a new era of health dictatorship even as the authorities backtrack and say they made mistakes. What a bunch of liars. Everything was done with malice. And this is why I pray because what can a person like me can do? I have no power except in Christ Jesus. 

I had an interesting conversation with Dagny, who's taking a class in Mariology, and who said that until the fifth dogma is proclaimed--that she's the Mediatrix of all graces--we'll never have peace. It's such a strange thing that our Lord will not do anything without our cooperation. The Virgin Mary had to give her fiat for the Incarnation to happen. Jesus comes to us through Mary and He wills that all graces pass through her hands. This comes up over and over IN SINU JESU. I tell you, this book is a love letter! We simply cannot comprehend a love so great. But BELIEVE!!!

I close with a picture of the girls at Ave Maria celebrating the Feast of the Annunciation!  

Three Hearts

The winner of Carol's Snowmallows is...Deanna! Congratulations!!!

What a beautiful day! Today is the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, also a first Friday that's devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the month of Mary. The US and Canadian bishops are also planning to re-consecrate North America to her. I love convergences like these. It feels like a complete consecration. I have so many thoughts but I'm unable to express them so I've been looking for some art depicting these three hearts and came across a beautiful blog: Holy Card Heaven where they post pictures of vintage cards. When we lived in Belgium, I loved watching ladies with their shuttles flying as they created beautiful lace. How in the world did they keep track of the design? 

And so I share this amazing art--to lift up your own heart to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the Chaste heart of St. Joseph. For what is prayer but lifting our poor hearts to His. 

St. Joseph

I've been waiting for Consecration to St. Joseph by Fr. Don Calloway since I first heard he was writing it. We need St. Joseph's prayers and guidance more than ever given that half the families do not have a father in the home, that family itself is under attack, that there is so much confusion in the world. 

I didn't grow up with a father and have sought other spiritual fathers--two of my favorites are St. Alphonsus and St. Padre Pio but the one whom I've always longed to know more about has been St. Joseph, chaste spouse of Mary, foster father of Jesus. I've read about the devotions some saints have had to St. Joseph and looking forward to putting myself into his care and protection. After all, he was the head and guardian of the Holy Family. The hearts of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are completely united and it feels so right to complete this circle of consecrations. I begin tomorrow! Anyone else interested?

A Happy St. Valentine's Day to you all. 

Totus Tuus

Tomorrow is Consecration Day!!! We've been doing Nineveh 90 and what a blessing it has been. Many are preparing to make their total consecration to Jesus through Mary on May 13, the anniversary of the first apparition at Fatima to the little shepherd children. I have the great privilege of walking with the new consecrators, praying for them, and reconsecrating myself (I made mine on the Feast of the Annunciation 5 years ago). I often go through my little book by St. Louis de Monfort but this time I picked up Fr. Michael Gaitley's 33 Days of Morning Glory. I love it as a companion book because it has some of the reflections of 20th century saints who had consecrated themselves: St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Mother Teresa, Pope St. John Paul II. He beings with St. Louis de Monfort and I will forever be pondering Mary's relationship with each of the Persons of the Holy Trinity: Daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son, Spouse of the Holy Spirit. I was completely blown away by the richness of St. Kolbe's reflections, especially on the Incarnation (O Jesus, living in Mary!) and what it means to be the Spouse of the Holy Spirit.  And Mother Teresa, in her simple way asks us to exchange our hearts with that of Mary's. And the great St. JPII, whose motto was "totus tuus."

Michael and I are so thankful to Fr. Heilman for starting this extended period for physical and spiritual exercises. I didn't do very well on the physical part but I have gained some strength doing ballet exercises. We've also gotten better at fasting. Prayer life has improved somewhat. But, I must admit that there was much resistance too. So not an easy time, but not impossible either, and now we have some good tools at our disposal.   

I highly recommend this devotion and to take the full 33 days the first time. But if you've fallen away or behind, or just feel like being in a hurry, there is also a novena based on St. Maximilian Kolbe's writings. The next Marian feast day is the Feast of the Visitation (May 31st) so what are you waiting for?  

I'm copying these daily prayers from the novena:

St. Augustine's Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Breathe in me O Holy Spirit that my thoughts may all be holy;
Act in me O Holy Spirit that my works, too, may be holy;
Draw my heart O Holy Spirit that I love but what is holy;
Strengthen me O Holy Spirit to defend all that is holy;
Guard me then O Holy Spirit that I always may be holy.

Sub Tuum Praesidium Prayer

We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.

Miraculous Medal Prayer

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee, and for all who do not have recourse to thee, especially the enemies of the Church and all those recommended to thee.

Prayer that the angel taught the three children at Fatima one year prior to Mary's appearance.

My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love Thee! I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love Thee.

Mary herself gave the children this prayer to be recited at the end of each decade of the rosary.

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy. 
 

Surfing and Saints

I'm ready to dive back into polishing my historical, but not before I leave you with some beautiful pictures at the beach. As you can see, it's not at all crowded. Water temp. was in the 70s and the outside temps. in the 80s, and still I felt chilled after I came out, with the wind blowing. The waves were gentle, perfect for a beginning surfer-girl. And now matter how many times she wiped out, she was back out there, trying to catch the next wave. My son enjoyed taking all these pictures, so alas, there's not a single one of him.

 

 

 

This morning, I went for a walk in the drizzle and didn't get bit by a single mosquito! October is truly a beautiful month. It is the birthday month of two of my favorite people -- Charlanne and Colleen. While we lived in WA, it was always such a treat for me to celebrate together. Oct. begins with Feasts of St. Therese (Little Flower), St. Francis of Assisi and our Lady. My sister just made her total consecration, the quickest way to sainthood, and so I leave you with the Queen of the Holy Rosary.

Enthronement and Consecration

Today is the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica -- the Pope's local parish, from where he guides not only the local Catholics, but also the bishops. It is by coincidence that this is the date we enthrone the Sacred Heart of Jesus in our family. The family is the domestic church, from where we guide our children to follow Christ. We've been preparing for several months now, but more intensely for this past month, by examining our conscience and praying to do this worthily. Just like the consecration to Jesus through Mary changed my life, so will consecration to His Sacred Heart.

This is the image we loved the best because it has the entire Holy Family:
http://www.lordsart.com/cert-1505c1.html

The readings for today are particularly fitting, especially the one from Ezekiel:
"The angel brought me back to the entrance of the temple and I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold ..."

The Church has stood for 2,000 years and this is the legacy I see. From the domestic church to the Vatican, the Spirit of the Lord flows in the followers of Christ. The Catholic church is the largest charitable organization, feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, educating the children, and protecting the most vulnerable in our society -- the unborn, the old, the sick, the dying. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. Lord, let Your river of love flow fast and strong from my heart.

I leave you with this beautiful hymn.

Consecration Day

I am still taking in the effects of daily rosary and other prayers, marvelling at the transformation that has been occurring within my heart. When I first began, I did not *feel* much. I would say some prayers and then right afterwards say I can't possibly mean that because I don't want to. But as the days went on, I found myself meaning the words I said. I think this is true for me in so many areas of my life, whether it's doing the household work or writing. I'm often unenthusiastic about sitting down to revise a particularly difficult chapter or washing all the lettuce, but once I begin, there is joy in the tasks. And so it is with faith. I am reluctant, but it grows nonetheless as I pray, sometimes mechanically, sometimes with fervor, sometimes with tears.

I almost didn't get to make my consecration. I was determined to do it on Sunday, March 25th, even though this year the Church moved the Feast of Annunciation to the 26th since last Sunday was Passiontide. Anyway, after getting some fresh air after choir practice, I went up to the loft to read and pray. The bells rang. Mass started. But my daughter and her two friends were still not there. When we were praying the Kyrie, I heard the clomping of one girl up the steps. Not my daughter. But her friend. "My sister is hurt," she whispered. I went to the parish hall across the street thinking it must just be a little scratch, but instead she had bloody knees and elbows and scratches on her hands and ankles. We cleaned her as best we could and raided the first aid kit. She was so brave. I knew the water stung, as did my words about them going to the loft at the first sound of the bells, instead of waiting till the last minute and then rushing about ...  Not my finest moment, I can assure you.

I didn't realize how much time had passed. When we entered the sanctuary, Father was giving his homily. I could barely concentrate. It was during the Offertory while the priest prays and offers once again the perfect Sacrifice that I began to offer myself wholly, body and soul, to do with me as He pleases. And this is exactly what total consecration is about. We do it through Mary because He came to us through her and so we go to Him through her. This is why we kneel every time we proclaim the Incarnation. I find that these physical movements, though they are external, direct the interior.

Try this. Next time you are feeling a bit blue, hop or skip. It is impossible to have a long face while you skip. In fact, you will be merry.

I have a happy ending. After Holy Communion, I made my consecration with my whole heart, my body and my soul. I know I will fail and fall in many, many ways, but I will get up and reach out to Mary and Jesus. They are with me. I had the pleasure of going to Mass again on the 26th, to properly celebrate the Annunciation.

God bless you.
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Spinning

It's hard to believe that this same time last week I was doing last minute preparations for the Write2Ignite Conference. I thank God for this gift (and Cec Murphey and the conference team) and for my carpool buddy Janice Green without whom I'd have ended up in some dirt road up a hill. Lovely house, that, but it was not our hotel.

I had such a wonderful time meeting Christian writers and editors -- on fire for the WORD -- and it makes me ever grateful that God never let up on me, that He kept calling and knocking on my stony heart ...

I had the opportunity to share my faith journey with these faith-filled women and men. One thing that came up a few times was why I chose the Catholic Church, and I don't think I chose it, as much as the Holy Spirit led me to it. Remember that I grew up in the Episcopal church in India, but it is quite different than the one here. I did remember enough of my history even without having touched the Bible for 30 years that for 1,500 years (until Reformation), Christianity was the Catholic Church. So it was very natural for us to step into the church that Christ established with Peter. Interestingly, we derive much of our liturgy from the Jewish practices, so there are many, many similarities if you attend a Jewish service.

I love that Christ gave us the Church, and at the foot of the Cross, he gave us his Mother. Under her protective mantle, all Christians gather. The consecration that I am going through is making it clearer and clearer. Another prayer I am beginning to love is the Memorare:

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,

that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection,

implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence,

I fly to thee O Virgin of virgins, my Mother;

to you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful.

O Mother of the Word incarnate,

despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me.

Amen

Our heavenly Mother is our advocate. St. Louis de Monfort's prayer to Jesus includes this:

Alas, O Lord! I am so wretched that without this dear Mother I should certainly be lost.

Yes, Mary is necessary for me at Thy side and everywhere;

that she may appease Thy just wrath, because I have so often offended Thee;

that she may save me from the eternal punishment of Thy justice, which I deserve;

that she may contemplate Thee, speak to Thee,
pray to Thee, approach Thee and please Thee;

that she may help me to save my soul and the souls of others;

in short, Mary is necessary for me that I may always do Thy holy will

and seek Thy greater glory in all things.

And so you see ... I am spinning into this vortex of love ... I am not alone in my journey. As I pray the rosary, it is Mary who leads me closer and closer to Christ.

I will be making my consecration on Sunday after Mass. Pray for me, my friends, that I may walk in the Light of Christ. I am so thankful for all of you.

I promise I will write a post about the conference ... after I have processed my notes and thoughts. Until then.

Pax Christi

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Prayer of St. Aloysius to the Blessed Mother

O holy Mary, my Mistress,

into thy blessed trust and special keeping,

into the bosom of thy tender mercy,

this day, every day of my life

and at the hour of my death,

I commend my soul and my body;

to thee I entrust all my hopes and consolations,

all my trials and miseries,

my life and the end of my life,

that through thy most holy intercession and thy merits,

all my actions may be ordered and disposed

according to thy will and that of thy divine Son.

Amen.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Mary and Jesus. Years ago, my sister copied it. I wonder if she still has it. I have a large print of this in our bedroom and a holy card with the prayer of St. Aloysius on the back. I use it as a bookmark and have gotten into the habit of praying it daily. It is such a simple and beautiful prayer, and it reminds me why I ask for her intercession -- her merits are great -- so that "Thy will be done." And she will be with me at the hour of my death, to guide me to her Son.

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Holy Ghost

As Faith rightly points out in her comment of the previous post, the most obvious thing -- stop sinning -- is easier said than done. But the Lord does send help.

One of the daily prayers is the Litany of the Holy Ghost. And some of the requests seem straightforward -- for piety, virtues, graces, etc.

But here are some things that struck me as unusual ... only because I hadn't thought about them before. But they are just as important. Consider:

Holy Ghost, inspire us with horror of sin. Why? Why should we be horrified? We live in a world where many of us are not moved by the violence of abortion, family breakdown, or sexual immorality that we see or hear of, or even partake in. We are complacent. We take it for granted. I've read articles promoting infanticide because the authors claim there is no difference between a fetus and a newborn. They are right -- a fetus is on the way to becoming a newborn. It is a continuum. But their argument is that if abortion is allowed, then a doctor should also be able to kill a newborn because it is defective, or because it's the wrong sex, or because the parents simply do not want it. Do people like Peter Singer, Alberto Giubilini, Francesca Minerva, and other so-called intellectuals and philosophers, not realize the horror of what they propose? 

Parce Domine!


Holy Ghost, engrave Thy law in our hearts. What is God's law? The 10 Commandments? The Beatitudes. Sure. But God's laws are also the natural laws that rule physics, chemistry and biology. This is why homosexuality doesn't fit in the natural order of things. You can't make babies! Woman was made for man, not for another woman. That some people are born with an unnatural attraction towards the same sex must be a heavy cross to bear, but it still doesn't make it "normal." Homosexuality will always be an aberration. I know I hold a very unpopular view. Years ago, I would've said, live and let live. What does it matter what two people do in their bedroom? I even thought homosexual marriage was a good idea because at least they were committed. But I've come to my senses. The sexual liberation has not liberated anyone, but in fact, has made us slaves to sin. Premarital sex, extramarital sex, homosexual sex, divorce, and abortion are all the fruits of this so-called liberation. Western civilization is on a downward spiral; we need to reverse the trend by embracing natural law promoting healthy and holy families. For it is family that is the natural unit of society, not the individual. Where families break down, so do societies.

Miserere nobis.


Holy Ghost, grant us the only necessary knowledge. This is interesting to me. I am so hungry for knowledge. But with this prayer, I am asking not to grasp at knowledge, but to be given the wisdom and knowledge that is necessary, and sufficient. With this prayer, I ask for greater trust and faith in the Lord.

I hope you will be inspired to pray the Litany of the Holy Ghost from time to time.

Come, Holy Ghost! Fill the hearts of Thy faithful
And enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.

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Blessed are the Pure in Heart

“The biggest obstacle we have to understanding the Word of God is our sin.” Fr. Francis Martin says to the young deacon, now Msgr. Charles Pope. To read the full reflection on one of the most important beatitudes, go to the ADW blog. In a nutshell, we need to stop sinning. We should pray to become more holy.

There is so much evil in this world, and much of it comes from our fallen natures, our propensity to sin. We must fight it. Just like the boy David chooses five smooth stones in preparation to bring down the mighty Goliath, so Our Lady gives us five stones to fight the devil:

Prayer -- Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
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Fasting -- Certain devils, can be cast out in no other way except by prayer and fasting, said Jesus (Mark 9:29).
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Daily Bible Reading -- For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb. 4:12).
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Confession -- for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation (Romans 10:10).
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Eucharist -- So Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves (John 6:53).
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You can read more here.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
I like this recording of the psalm.

Enjoy and God bless.
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Effective Prayer

In the past two weeks I have come across this verse thrice -- twice in my readings, and once during Mass.

So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. Luke 11:9

So I have been doing a lot of asking -- for blessings, for virtues, for graces, and my deepest desires, and in the end I return to Thy will be done. I know my Father knows all this without even me asking, and now I can hope that my will is aligned with His. I don't know whether I can ever be as good to say as St. Paul to the Galatians (2:20): it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me ... but that is my prayer.

I try to remember this passage for it relates to all the asking I do: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33  First things first, right?

I am excited and pleased to share with you that I received a scholarship for the Write 2 Ignite conference this St. Patty's day weekend. Thanks to Cec Murphey and the conference leaders.

God bless.
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A Magnificent Prayer

I've been praying the Magnificat daily and every day I am falling in love with this bold and beautiful prayer. This is what Mary sings when she meets her cousin Elizabeth (who is carrying John the Baptist, and who leaps in his mother's womb when he feels the presence of Jesus).

My son said that it is a little bit scary that we have such a good life because at the end of time we will be the ones who will be scattered and put down. We are proud and mighty, not humble and poor of spirit. The Beatitudes turn everything upside down, but Mary understands the order of things when she concieves Jesus in her womb.

Here is this song of joy put to music by Bach, and below are the words of Mary. Enjoy.

My soul doth magnify the Lord.

And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid;

for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

Because he that is mighty,

hath done great things to me;

and holy is his name.

And his mercy is from generation unto generations,

to them that fear him.

He hath shewed might in his arm:

he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.

He hath put down the mighty from their seat,

and hath exalted the humble.

He hath filled the hungry with good things;

and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He hath received Israel his servant,

being mindful of his mercy:

As he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his seed for ever.

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Reflections to Share

I hope to share a few things on my Lenten/consecration journey and one of the blessings of a blog or website is that even if I lose my notebook, I will have these notes online.

The daily readings began with the beatitudes ... and I struggle most with the first one, blessed are the poor in spirit ... for my ego is large and I do enjoy when I am rewarded in this world for my work. I want so much to do everything for the glory of God, yet I want to have some of it for myself. Sigh. This first period is for developing detachment from this world and it is difficult.

This is what I prayed for, from Imitation Book 3, Chap. 40
True vainglory is an evil plague, because it draws away from true glory, and robs us of heavenly grace. For, while a man takes complacency in himself, he displeases Thee; while he looks for human applause, he is deprived of true virtues. But true, glory and holy exultation is to glory in Thee, and not in one's self; to rejoice in Thy Name, but not in one's own strength. To find pleasure in no creature, save only for Thy sake. Let Thy Name be praised, not mine; let Thy work be magnified, not mine; let Thy Holy Name be blessed, but let nothing be attributed to me of the praise of men.

But is it a true prayer when I am still so attached to the praises the world might offer me, for cooking or writing or having lovely children?
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A Lenten Retreat

As is typical for me, I'm taking a Lenten retreat from cyberspace. This year I am particularly excited because I am compelled to follow St. Louis de Monfort's 33-day preparation for total consecration to Jesus through Mary.

Why Mary? She always points the way to her Son. She never fails. If you are interested in reading more, go here.

A year or so ago, I had checked out a book from the library about this, and just thumbing through it, I thought, no way ... too much praying. I'm not an ascetic. I'm a mom and writer and teacher. So I put the book away. I do often find myself praying while washing dishes or walking or any number of things, even when I'm annoyed. I'm not particularly pious -- my prayers range from thanksgiving and praise to fighting, demanding, wheedling, whining (and some of these things qualities I can't stand in my own children, yet I pester our Heavenly Father likewise) -- but I have a great longing. I cannot really put into words what it is I am longing for (because I have everything, really), but I think it has to do with holiness and wanting to always be with God.

So now I'm ready and happy to do this. I'm including my family by proxy. They may or may not join me for my daily prayers, but I am consecrating them as well. Many times, when I receive the Precious Body of our Lord, I think not only of my soul being healed, but also those who cannot partake. Our Lord is merciful and I am looking forward to getting to know Him better.

I hope you will pray for me during this time, that I may make a worthy consecration on the Feast of Mary's Annunciation, Mar. 25th. Oddly enough, for some time I've been thinking about changing the name of my blog to Fiat! for it was her Fiat that enfleshed the Word, and it is what I long to do always -- the will of God -- in all that I do as a wife, mother, writer, teacher.

God bless you this Lenten season.
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