Etsy Rosary Guild Giveaway

 

Who doesn't like free stuff? At the Etsy Rosary Guild blogspot, they've started something new.  A giveaway on a monthly basis.  The first to share their time and talents is Jeanine from Heartfelt Rosaries.  She wire wrapped this bracelet by hand! That is something I would love to learn how to do.   To enter the contest and to learn more about Jeanine's work, click on the link above to the Etsy Rosary Guild.

The Triune God

Today is the feast day of the Holy Trinity- Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  For me, there is nothing more intimidating than this idea of the Triune God- three persons, yet one God.  The very thought of the Trinity's ultimate cosmic power makes me feel like an ancient cowering Grecian underneath the powerful and unpredictable hands of their mythic gods and goddesses.  Although the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not different gods, they do each possess extreme power and take on different roles.   Although the Trinity should always evoke a holy fear, if I think about what the Trinity stands for, it does because something I can relate to and a relationship I can strive for. 

Individually, these three Persons don't intimate me quite as much as they do as a whole.   I can certainly relate to Jesus as my friend and brother.  The Holy Spirit is my constant companion, my inspiration, my comforter.  The Father is loving and merciful.  So why then is it when the three are combined, (which in reality they are always are) do I find it hard to relate to the Trinity?

Perhaps its because I am not thinking about what the Trinity actually is and I guess part of it is because it's a mystery- something I will never understand!  The Trinity is all about a loving relationship but not just any relationship.  It is the ultimate, infinite circle of love that we ourselves yearn to be a part of- whether we know it or not.  This is something I can relate to.   I have many relationships, yet I still yearn for a deeper love, a deeper intimacy--always something more.  This is the gift and the curse that is given to us so that we might not be too attached to earthy things and always remember our eternal home and eternal lover who waits for us.

There is another way I can relate to the Trinity and that is in the procreative act.  There is nothing that reflects the action of the Trinity more than the procreative act.  The Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father so much that life bursts forth, and that is the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit then joins in the continuous circle of love for the Father and the Son.  While my family is not always the perfect model of the Trinity, it is something that we can always strive for because it doesn't stop with the procreative act. It continues on and on as our children grow and as my husband I become older.  The Trinitarian love reflected in our family become ever more purposeful and needed as the years go on!  If my husband and I stop working on giving self donative love to each other, our relationship will grow stale; and as my oldest son grows to learn what real love is, he finds meaning and purpose in his relationship with his sister and parents.  This cycle of love reflects the Holy Trinity.

Still, the meditating on the Trinity, will always bring me to a humble state,  as it should.  When I pray to the Trinity, I am, and will always be, kneeling before my creator, my redeemer, and the very breath of God.  There is nothing more humbling than to admit that all power, all good, all love belongs to the Triune God.  Alone, I am nothing.  If there is anything that is good in me, it comes from the Trinity and is only given to me on lend.   When I die, it is all taken away and the only remains is the love of the Trinity.  Only then, will I experience true fulfillment through the loving relationship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  My greatest wish is that my family will be there to experience it with me.

Big News for the Clay Rosary Girl

As some of you already know, I am expecting my third child in November! That makes me about four months pregnant.  Next month, I will be going in for a sonogram, and hopefully they will be able to tell us if we will be having a boy or a girl. I'm not one for waiting more than 20 weeks to find out that out! We already have some names picked out, so I'll let you know what what we have decided when we find out if it is a boy or girl.  The due date is November 7.  Please keep the new baby in your prayers!

Lighten Up!

Today is the feast day of St. Philip of Neri who was known for his ability to be "cheerful and laugh from the depths of his burning love for the crucified Christ."  Sometimes Catholics are given a bad rep about not being able to have a sense of humor.   Excuse me if I find it hard to laugh at our world's disturbing sense of humor.  It certainly doesn't mean I don't have a sense of humor at all!  Being a Christian doesn't mean I'm a stoic or unnecessarily prude.  Being a Christian means I can find joy in all the ways I encounter Christ.   When I think about how much God loves me and you, that joy makes me profoundly happy and I may even let out an occasional joke or two ;) 

A sense of humor can tell a lot about a person. A good sense of humor shows a healthy self respect.  A person who can laugh at themselves shows that they are not too proud and do not have a poor self esteem.   Sometimes poking fun of each other in a light hearted way is the best way to show camaraderie.  Also a good sense of humor shows a positive outlook life.  When life gives us lemons, a joyful person will not be shaken to the core, but sees things in the right perspective with right proportion.  Keeping a good sense of humor is sometimes the best medicine in times of sadness.

In the same way, a poor sense of humor can reveal vices, unhealthy attitudes and a poor self image.   It revealed Sarah's lack of faith in Genesis 18, and got her in trouble with the Lord! There are many jokes I simply do not think are funny and it's not because I don't have a sense of humor.  For example, jokes that are demeaning to men or women or the sacrament of marriage never make me laugh.  Also jokes that show a distorted view of sex only make me frown. Maybe for this reason, I am very choosy when it comes to my friends and who I hang out with.  I find it pretty easy to tell who is going to make me feel uncomfortable in a social setting and with whom I will be able to enjoy myself and share a few laughs.

A life with Christ is one of full of joy.  They will know we are Christians by our love and our joy.  Elizabeth's baby, St. John the Baptist, knew Christ's joy even before he was born! "For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy." Luke 1:44.  We can experience Christ every time we see our neighbor, appreciate nature, pray and especially when we receive the Eucharist. Just like St. Philip of Neri, all this joy can't help but make a person laugh from the depths of a love for Christ.  

Madonna Accessories

Today I rewarded myself for a long, hard busy season while supporting Etsy artisans at the same time! Look what I got. Aren't they cool?! I can't wait to sport all my new Madonna accessories.  And Saint Francis happens to be my second favorite saint.

"Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity, And clothe yourself with honor and majesty." Job 40:10

Maybe wearing awesome religious jewelery is not what Job meant, but I think it's a close second :)

Poem for Mary

Thoughts for the Month of Mary


It is noon.
I see the church open,
and I must enter.

Mother of Jesus Christ,
I do not come to pray.
I have nothing to offer
and nothing to request.

I come solely to gaze on you,
O Mother.
To gaze on you,
weep for joy.
and know this:
that I am your child
and you are there.

I come only for a moment
while everything is at a standstill,
at noon!

Just to be with you,
O Mary,
in this place where you are.
Not to say anything
but to gaze at your countenance,
and let the heart sing
in its own language;
not to say anything
but solely to sing
because my heart is overflowing.

For you are beautiful,
because you are Immaculate,
the woman fully restored in Grace,
the creature in its first honor
and its final bloom,
as it issued from God
on the morn of its original splendor

You are ineffably intact,
because you are the Mother of Jesus Christ,
Who is the Truth in your arms,
and the only hope and the sole fruit.

by Paul Claudel
taken from Magnificat, May 2010 Issue


Paul Claudel (d.1955) was a poet, a playwright, a diplomat, and a member of the French Academy.

I Am A Proud Sister

Yesterday,  my brother, Robert, graduated from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. I couldn't be more proud of him and his accomplishments. He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelors degree in electric engineering. He will be continuing his work at St. Jude's Medical Research Center where he interned.  He has a heart of gold and a passion for helping those in need.  His determination, hard work, and commitment to excellence in everything he does has brought him this far and will no doubt bring him much more success in the future.  I pray that he continues to follow God's Will in the path that God will show him.