A delightful story from Michelle Dawn Jones, a mother and farmer in Canada. I love beets. Pickled or plain they please me. I like the greens too. My husband professes a dislike for beet greens, a fact which I can’t quite get my head around. This winter, sing the bags upon bags of beet greens in the freezer, we shall find our way to his stomach by so many circuitous routes that when we are gone he will miss us.... Read more
Lord Jesus, you have chosen your priests from among us and sent them out to proclaim your word and to act in your name. For so great a gift to your Church, we give you praise and thanksgiving. We ask you to fill them with the fire of your love, that their ministry may reveal your presence in the Church. Since they are earthen vessels, we pray that your power shine out through their weakness. In their afflictions let them... Read more
Self awareness from a pretty bird: Earlier in the spring I was blessed with two nests of cardinals in my yard. Cardinals are very territorial birds but for some reason these two families shared the space congenially. The two nests of fledglings gave way to a small flock darting about the Locust tree and flowering shrubs. One late-summer morning a flash of red streaked close to the upstairs window. My prayers sputtered to a stop as my morning gaze was... Read more
Christ is the spouse and crowning glory of Sisters and Nuns. Let us praise him with joy in our voices and pray to him with sincerity in our hearts: Jesus, crown of holy women, hear us. Christ, the holy women loved you as their one true spouse, grant that nothing may separate Sisters and Nuns from your love. Jesus, crown of holy women, hear us. You crowned Mary, your mother, queen of virgins, through her intercession, let Sisters and Nuns... Read more
O Jesus, Good Shepherd, who have come to save what was lost, you have established the priesthood of the Holy Church, so that the work of Redemption might be perpetuated. We ask you urgently: send laborers into your vineyard! Give your Holy Church worthy and holy priests. Give your Holy Church religious brothers and sisters. Grant that all those whom you have chosen from all eternity may follow your call. Do not allow anyone who is unworthy to ascend the... Read more
I remembered being light headed and giddy. The man who had brought me to that secluded place held me tight as we leaned against the rocks of an adjoining mountainside. The air tickled my lungs in a way that a city girl—I was from Detroit—rarely experienced. There was a purity and thinness between where we stood on the alpine tundra, and God. I had taken the summer off before beginning a graduate program at Michigan State University. He was a... Read more
This prayer is for those who feel the burden of our times, which includes our Sisters and Nuns. It was shared by Fr. Mike, the priest at Saints Cornelius & Cyprian Church, a small parish in farm country where I usually attend daily Mass. O God, we pray this day: for all who have a song they cannot sing, for all who have a burden they cannot bear, for all who live in chains they cannot break, for all who wander homeless and... Read more
Sharing flowers from your garden is a joy for both you and the recipient. Here’s a handy way to transport those posies using a coffee bag! 1. Rinse well an emptied coffee bag. No need to use soap, coffee oils won’t hurt a thing. 2. That little vacuum button on the front? Sometimes they aren’t air tight (shock!). Cover it with a piece of packaging tape. 3. Flatten out the bottom then fill the bag with water to about 1/4 to 1/3 full…any... Read more
Look kindly Lord, on your priests, religious, and laymen who left all to witness to your word and your love. Be to each one of them a “…powerful protector and their strong support, their shade from the midday sun, their shelter from the desert wind, a guard against stumbling, an assurance against a fall…” (Ecc 34:19). Sustain them in difficult moments, direct their strength, console their hearts and crown their works with spiritual victories. Let them not seek for earthly... Read more
Mass was at a church that had been reclassified, rather, to use the Bishop’s words, “suppressed” as an Oratory. After a priest created a rift in the faithful the number of parishioners had dropped. The decline in the worshipping community never regained its former attendance. I sat back and lifted the kneeler having offered the prayers brought with me. I looked at the many beautiful, although disparate images and statues about the modern octagonal structure. On the wall behind the... Read more
Morning Rose Prayer Gardens
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