Oh Nuts

  As Jesus hung on the cross, he forgave the soldiers who had crucified him and prayed for his mother and friends. Jesus wanted all of us to be able to live forever with God, so he gave all he had for us. Photo by Alicia Quan on Unsplash Leader:  We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. All:  Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world. As Jesus hung on the cross, he forgave the soldiers who had crucified him, and prayed for his mother and friends. Jesus wanted all of us to be able to live forever with God, so he gave all he had for us. Jesus, let me take a few moments now to consider your love for me. Help me thank you for your willingness to go to your death for me. Help me express my love for you! My Jesus, three hours didst Thou hang in agony, and then die for me; let me die before I sin, and if I live, live for Thy love and faithful service. Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father... Leader:  Jesus Christ Crucified. All:  Have merc...

"You rejected the holy and righteous one and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the author of life, whom God raised from the dead."  - Acts 3:14-25 Photo by  Ricky Turner  on  Unsplash Today we hear another cry unlike the joyous shouts of Palm Sunday. It is the fierce cry of those who shout out: "Crucify him!" How hard it is for the comfortable and the self-righteous to understand the joy and the celebration of God's mercy. How hard is it for those who trust only themselves and look down on others, to share in this joy. It is the cry born of the show of self-sufficiency, pride, and arrogance, which sees no problem in shouting "Crucify him, crucify him." Faced with such people, the best remedy is to look at Christ's cross and let ourselves be challenged by his final cry. He died crying out his love for each of us: young and old, saints and sinners, the people of his times and of our own. We have been saved by his cross,...

Since we are now in the season of Lent and even if you have already decided on what you are going to be giving up or adding to your daily routine.  My intention with this blog is to share ideas, so in that spirit, I am sharing a list (not exhaustive by any means) that has an unknown source and trusting we can read it and not automatically find offense.  unknown source . #Lent   #Lentendiscipline   #Catholic   #LentenResolutions

Source Unknown #Lent2020 #CatholicTwitter

"Have no fear for what tomorrow may bring. The same loving God who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. God will either shield you from suffering or give you unfailing strength to bear it.  So, then, be at peace and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations. " - St. Francis de Sales  Since it is the beginning of the Lenten season this quote is something for us to reflect on.

Read - John 18:1-19:42 Carrying the cross himself, he set out. (John 19:17) Where do you see yourself, as Jesus walks the rough path to the hill of Golgotha? Are you a bystander, waiting for the procession to pass so that you can be about your business? Are you a friend, hurrying behind, distraught but unable to desert him? Maybe you're a soldier, driving him before you. No matter what perspective you view in the story, Jesus is always at the center, orchestrating each action. At no point in John's Gospel is Jesus helpless or bewildered. He shows nothing but steadfast purposefulness. At his word, a whole contingent of soldiers falls back (John 18:6). Standing before Pilate, he holds fast, while the procurator becomes increasingly anxious and afraid (19:8). He manfully takes up his cross and marches to his fate (19:17). And at what appears to be his lowest point, Jesus announces calmly and definitively, "It is finished" and hands over his spirit to the Father...

Read: John 13:1-15 Unless I wash you...(John 13:8) What an astounding image the Lord gave his disciples and us of his love! The King of kings bends over us and humbly washes our feet. Such care and concern he shows for us, his people! This is the very nature of Jesus' love for us: it is so intense that it moved him to lower himself to take on the position of a servant for our sakes.  "You will never wash my feet" (John 13:8). How many times have we echoed Peter's words and tried to keep Jesus from ministering to us? Maybe we have thought we don't deserve such love. Or maybe we have thought we don't need to be washed clean. But to each of us, Jesus says, "Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me." Unless we let him cleanse us and care for us, we will end up separated from him. Jesus wants to wash us, both in Baptism and in our everyday lives. He wants to help us and refresh us. Accepting that offer means quieting our he...

The First Letter of Saint Clare to Agnes of Prague (1234) Therefore, most beloved sister, or should I say, Lady, worthy of great respect: because You are the spouse and the mother and the sister of my Lord Jesus Christ (cf 2 Cor 11:2, Mt. 12:50) and have been beautifully adorned with the sign of an undefiled virginity and a most holy poverty: Be strengthened in the holy service which you have undertaken out of a burning desire for the poor Crucified, Who for the sake of all of us took upon Himself the Passion of the Cross (Heb 12:2), delivered us from the power of the Prince of Darkness (Col 1:13) to whom we were enslaved because of the disobedience of our first parent, and so reconciled us to God the Father (2 Cor 5:18). O blessed poverty, who bestows eternal riches on those who love and embrace her! O holy poverty, God promises the kingdom of Heaven and in fact, offers eternal glory and a blessed life to those who posses and desire you! O God-centered p...

The Second Letter of  Saint Clare to Agnes of Prague (1235) But with swift pace, light step unswerving feet, so that even your steps stir up no dust, may you go forward securely, joyfully, and swiftly, on the path of prudent happiness, not believing anything, not agreeing with anything that would dissuade you from this resolution or that would place a stumbling block for you on the way, so that you may offer your vows to the Most High in the pursuit of that perfection to which the Spirit of the Lord has called you. For Prayer and Reflection: What are the stumbling blocks that keep you from "going forward securely, joyfully and swiftly?" What passion will you never abandon in your life?

The Fourth Letter of Saint Clare to Agnes of Prague (1253) Gaze upon that mirror each day, O Queen and Spouse of Jesus Christ, and continually study your face within it, that you may adorn yourself within and without beautiful robes, covered, as it is becoming the daughter and most chaste bride of the Most High King, with the flowers and garments of all the virtues. Indeed, blessed poverty, holy humility, and inexpressible charity are reflected in that mirror, as, with the grace of God, you can contemplate them throughout the entire mirror. Then, at the surface of the mirror, consider the holy humility, the blessed poverty, the untold labors and burdens that He endured for the redemption of the whole human race. Then, in the depth of this same mirror, contemplate the ineffable charity that led Him to suffer on the wood of the Cross and to die there the most shameful kind of death. Therefore that mirror, suspended on the wood of the Cross, urged those who passed by to co...

The Third Letter of Saint Clare to Agnes of Prague (1238) Place your mind before the mirror of eternity! Place your soul in the brilliance of glory! Place your heart in the figure of the divine substance! And transform your entire being into the image  of the Godhead itself through contemplation. So that you too may feel what His friends feel as they taste the hidden sweetness that God Himself has reserved from the beginning for those who love Him. And, after all who ensnare their blind lovers in a deceitful and turbulent world have been completely sent away, Who gave Himself totally for your love. For Prayer and Reflection: Clare uses the image of the mirror popular in the spiritual literature of her time. The medieval concept was that one gazed into a mirror to see there what one should become . Does this image speak to you in realizing that as one gazes upon one's truest self, one comes to see the very Image in which one was create...

The Second Letter of Saint Clare to Agnes of Prague (1235) Your Spouse, though more beautiful than the children of men, became, for your salvation, the lowest of men, was despised, struck, scourged, untold times throughout His entire body, and then died amid the suffering of the Cross. O most noble Queen, gaze upon [Him] consider [Him] contemplate [Him] as you desire to imitate [Him]. If you suffer with Him, you will reign with Him. [If you] weep [with Him], you shall rejoice with Him; [If you] die with Him on the cross of tribulation, you shall possess heavenly mansions in the splendor of the saints and, in the Book of Life your name shall be called glorious among men. For Prayer and Reflection: What times and places are reserved in your life NOW for "gazing, considering, contemplating," Jesus on the cross? Is this a struggle as you attempt to balance contemplation and ministry? How has your own suffering been a transforming p...

From the Letter of Saint Clare to Ermantrude of Burges, Look to heaven that invites us, O dearly beloved,  and take up the cross and follow Christ who goes before us, for through Him we shall enter into His glory after many different trials. Love God and Jesus, His son, who was crucified for us sinners, from the depths of your heart, and never let the thought of Him leave your mind. Meditate constantly on the mysteries of the cross and agonies of His mother standing at the foot of the cross. Pray and always be vigilant. The work you have begun well, complete immediately and the ministry you have assumed, fulfill in holy poverty and sincere humility. For Prayer and Reflection Where in your life are you invited to "take up the cross and follow Christ? In your  meditation on the mysteries of the cross, how have you encountered Jesus? Where in your ministry do you experience a fulfillment of "holy poverty and sincere humility...

The Third Letter of Saint Clare to Agnes of Prague (1238) Place your mind before the mirror of eternity! Place your soul in the brilliance of glory! Place your heart in the figure of the divine substance! And transform your entire being into the image of the Godhead itself through contemplation. So that you too may feel what His friends feel as they taste the hidden sweetness that God Himself has reserved from the beginning for those who love Him. And, after all who ensnare their blind lovers in a deceitful and turbulent world have been completely sent away, you may totally love Him Who gave Himself totally for your love. For Prayer and Reflection : Clare uses the image of the mirror popular in the spiritual literature of her time. The medieval concept was that one gazed into a mirror to see there what one was to become . Does this image speak to you in realizing that as one gazes upon one's truest self, one comes to see the very Image in which one is c...

Eleventh Station: Jesus is Nailed to the Cross Thou didst forgive thy enemies; my God, teach me to forgive injuries and forget them. Twelfth Station: Jesus Dies on The Cross Thou art dying my Jesus, but Thy Sacred Heart still throbs with love for Thy sinful children. Thirteenth Station: Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross Receive me into thy arms, O Sorrowful Mother; and obtain for me perfect contrition for my sins. Fourteenth Station: Jesus is Laid in the Sepulcher When I receive Thee into my heart in Holy Communion, O Jesus, make it a fit abiding place for thy adorable body. Amen.

--- 1 --- In case you haven't seen it yet there is a youtube video of "Let It Go" being sung in different character voices from Disney and Pixar movies floating around on Facebook and it is hysterical. I like the guys Micky Mouse and Whinnie the Pooh impressions. You can find the video here . --- 2 --- On Saturday my family and I finally got to watch "Thor: The Dark World" and we all enjoyed it. Especially once Loki showed up. We all loved this scene . I also thought that the funeral scene for Thor's mother was sad and beautiful at the same time. Here is a link to the scene . If you haven't seen it yet I apologize for the spoilers. --- 3 --- The amazing Irish Soda bread that we have every year on St. Patrick's Day. --- 4 --- This is the one week during Lent that I like to think of as our splurging on sweets week. The reason being that we celebrate St. Patrick's day at the beginning of the week, then on the 19th is the fest...

--- 1 --- Lent has started and this year I am giving up snacks, sweets (except for birthdays and Holy Days) as well as trying to exercise more. I will do my best to let you know how it is going. :) --- 2 --- As I am sure you saw by my post on Sunday that it was my birthday at the beginning of the week. Besides what I talked about in my post that day Amanda and I went out to dinner on Saturday night with two cousins. It was a lot of fun. For dinner we went to "FlatTop Grill" and the food was amazing, especially if you like stir fry. The place that we went to for dessert is one of the best chocolate places ever! In the menu the first two pages list all of the different hot chocolates that they do as well as chocolate lattes and mochas. Not to mention they make amazing desserts. They also have a small store attached where you can by a bunch of different candies. --- 3 --- Words to live by. --- 4 --- Last week I decided to not do a 7 Quick Takes Friday sinc...

Forty days alone,  a wilderness of thoughts,  tempting and inviting thoughts,  which could so easily have distracted you  from your task, your mission, your vision. Yet you emerged, stronger and more attuned  to all that had to be done,  despite a time constraint  that to our eyes would have seemed hopeless. We too live in stressful times.  Demands are made of our time,  that leave so little  for the important things of life.  We are easily distracted  in the wilderness of our lives,  by every call to go this way or that, to turn stone to bread  leap from mountains,  and do all that would keep us from the truth. We listen to the voices of this world,  and ignore the one who endured all this  and so much more,  and emerged triumphant,  that we might not have to suffer so. Forgive us, Father,  when we get distracted from our task.  Forgive us those times when we try  to be a...