showeredwithgrace

   

This day ~ two years ago ~ was Rose Red's baptismal day.  May our sweet little imp walk always as a child of the Light.

When on the Purification sun hath shin'd,
The greatest part of winter comes behind.


Happy Candlemas!

Blessed Solemnity!

 

My favorite image of Mary ~ Our Lady of Tenderness.  I fell in love with this image after seeing it for the first time during a small Mass in Assisi.  We have one now displayed in our new home.  A beautiful reminder that as a mother, a gentle heart and tenderness are the pathways that lead to the hearts of our children.

Happy New Year as well!  We are now happily ensconced in our new home and completely moved out of the rental.  Hurray!  We enjoyed our night at the Japanese Teppan tables last night with my FIL and Rose Red (who made it up until 11pm).  They were playing live  music and Rose Red sang and danced the night away and was the hit at our teppan table last night.  This morning dh and I woke up to see the sunrise ~ cup of coffee in hand and then we walked to Mass as a family and home again.  I'm feeling it will be a very blessed new year for our family.

Pax et bonum.

 

Feast of the Holy Family today.

 

I have a particular devotion to the Rosa Mystica . Rose Red's middle name is Rose after Our Lady the Rosa Mystica.  For years I have kept her Hour of Grace and my petitions ~ beyond counting ~ have been graciously answered.  From births of friends babies, to marriages, to the healing of severe addictions . . . it has all been truly miraculous.  If you have a church who celebrates this Hour of Grace ~ be sure to attend at noon on this feast of the Immaculate Conception.  You will never stop this devotion when you experience the shower of graces she will attain for you.

 

We created a winter garden ~ pure and enclosed ~ for tomorrow's feast in honor of Our Lady Immaculate.

"O Mary! Ark of the covenant, built of an incorruptible wood, and covered over with the purest gold! help us to correspond with those wonderful designs of our God, who, after having found His glory in thine incomparable purity, wills now to seek His glory in our unworthiness, by making us, from being slaves of the devil, His temples and His abode, where He may find His delight. Help us to this, O thou that by the mercy of thy Son hast never known sin! and receive this day our devoutest praise."

 

We had a visit from Saint Nicholas at our parish church today.  Our fearless Rose Red was frightened of St. Nick and wouldn't go anywhere near him but she had lots of fun with the crafts and yummy treats!

 

 

   

   

 

 

 

Happy St. Nicholas feast!

 

Simple and humble are calling to our hearts this advent season.  We are beginning by simplifying our evening meals during Advent this year to soup and bread (except for Sundays, of course).  Tonight, clam chowder. 

Contemplating this beautiful, simple image of Our Lady and the journey she was called to make,  as the Christ child dwelt within her ~  growing within her ~ receiving his life from her life.   Just as she received her life from Him ~  eucharistic.  It's all there.  It's always there ~ if we have eyes to see and ears to hear . . .  his whisperings.

. . . and so he reveals Himself ~ ever so gently . . . silently . . .  in the hushed moments of a day as Light and Life . . . three but one. 

yes Lord, I'm listening.

Rose Red:  "This is my father ~ he lives in mass." 

Mommy:  "Yes.  Yes, he does my love."

Rose Red:  "I love my Shepherd"

Mommy:  "And he loves you, very much"

This All Hallow's Eve ~ St. Agnes of Rome.

Angel of God, my guardian dear,
To whom God's love committs me here,
Ever this day be at my side,
To light, to guard, to rule, and guide.

Feast of the Guardian Angels ~ today.

Today is the feast day of St. Therese of the Child Jesus (The Little Flower).  Last year Rose Red dressed up as St. Therese for All Hallow's Eve.  This picture is from last year ~ I am posting it today in honor of the feast.

February 18th, 2007 ~ Rose Red received the Light of the Risen Jesus.

May she walk always as a Child of the Light.

 

I found this at The Cherry Blossoms and had to share it here with you.

Rose Red was St. Therese of Lisieux ~ 'The Little Flower' for Halloween this year.  Her good buddy 'Romeo', our godson, went as St. Francis of Assisi.

As you can see, Rose Red was very interested in what was being dropped into her pumpkin!

Happy Halloween!

We have Saints popping up among us ~ with any luck they'll be here by All Hallow's Eve ! 

For those interested in learning more about the Latin Mass perhaps keep your eye on  Sancta Missa.  Hat tip to Argent for this link !

When I was on the brink of my 28th birthday and before I met my husband,  I prayed a novena to St. Anthony of Padua to please 'find' me my husband-to-be because apparently he was lost out in the world somewhere unable to find his way to me.  In fact the night I met my husband was one of the last couple days,  if not the very last day,  of this particular novena.  I remember this clearly because we were out dancing with some mutual friends that evening and I made a particular point to make the time to pray this novena there in the corner of the dance club before the stroke of midnight !   And I just read today that St. Anthony has a history of being invoked by women searching for good husbands!  Imagine that!  He is also the patron saint of Portugal ~  and I can't think it is merely a coincidence that my husband is also Portuguese  ~ can you?!  That is why St. Anthony of Padua is the patron saint of our family  ~ we have a special love for him ~ as I'm sure you can see why!  Today is his special feast day and I think it calls for a little something special in honor of him.  Catholic Culture had some ideas for honoring this greatly loved saint of ours:

Saint Anthony of Padua

Patron: Against shipwrecks; against starvation; against starving; American Indians; amputees; animals; asses; barrenness; boatmen; Brazil; diocese of Beaumont, Texas; domestic animals; elderly people; expectant mothers; faith in the Blessed Sacrament; Ferrazzano, Italy; fishermen; harvests; horses; Lisbon, Portugal; lost articles; lower animals; mail; mariners; oppressed people; Padua, Italy; paupers; poor people; Portugal; pregnant women; sailors; seekers of lost articles; shipwrecks; starvation; starving people; sterility; swineherds; Tigua Indians; travel hostesses; travellers; watermen.

Symbols: The Holy Child on a book; lilies; fishes; flask and crucifix, mule; money chest and human heart; heart (symbol of Christian charity); fire (for religious fervor); portrayed holding a book, bread, Infant Jesus and or a lily.

Things to Do:

• St. Anthony was a great lover of the poor. Deprive yourself of some treat and put the money saved in the poor box.
• St. Anthony's Bread refers to an episode told in the Rigaldina, the oldest life of St. Anthony. A Paduan mother, who lived near the Basilica during its construction, had left little Thomas, her 20 month old son, alone in the kitchen. The little boy, while playing, ended up head first in a tub of water. His mother found him lifeless. She screamed desperately but she didn't give up. She called on the Saint. She made a vow: if she obtained the blessing of her child back to life, she would donate to the poor bread equal to the weight of her son to the poor. Her prayer was answered. Read more about St. Anthony's Bread and consider donating to St. Anthony's charities.
• St. Anthony is invoked by women in search of good husbands, so if you're single and in search of a spouse, today is a good day to make a visit to a church or shrine dedicated to St. Anthony to make your petition to this generous saint!
• Because St. Anthony was buried on a Tuesday and many miracles accompanied his funeral, Tuesdays are special days of honoring him throughout the year. It is customary to pray a Novena to him on thirteen consecutive Tuesdays.

"Each day of May there is a special flower dedicated to Our Lady which corresponds with a particular virtue. When you offer to Mary each day of May the acts of the designated virtue, you will have presented her with a most beautiful spiritual bouquet of flowers by her glorious feast on May 31st of the Queenship of Mary."   ~  the daily catholic*

Throughout the month of May ~ the month dedicated to Our Lady ~ I plan on posting the flower and virtue of the day and weaving here at our home a beautiful bouquet to present to our Our Lady, Mediatrix of all Graces on the feast of her Queenship.

*I stumbled across this devotion at 'the daily catholic' and liked the idea of a spiritual bouquet but am not familiar with this site as a whole.  I am referring to it solely because of the content pertaining to this particular devotion.

St. Gianna, protectress of mothers              and families,  pray for us! Today is the feast day of Rose Red's special patron saint ! Feast Day: April 28

Gianna Beretta Molla made a heroic choice, but it was something her family members and friends testified she prepared for every day of her life. Her heroic virtue, genuine holiness of life, selflessness, and quiet joy remind all of us that God entrusts us with a personal vocation. Each and every day presents us with choices that have the power to prepare us to take heroic action whenever it will be called for. We can do that, however, only if we surrender ourselves and what we desire to God and His will for us. " Dr. Molla threw light on the importance of the Christian family, by her life and conscious sacrifice. She threw light on the importance of Christian schools and Catholic  Action, in the formation of the human being in Christian values and it gives us guiding principles, to which the Christian subordinates his own life, as Dr. Beretta Molla knowingly did. The heroism of her Christian life will bear fruit." This example of lay sanctity, lived in the Sacrament of Matrimony, as the Vatican Council II teaches, will encourage many Christians to seek God in holy Matrimony. The exemplary fame of Christian conduct, lived by Gianna Beretta Molla is valid proof.

I had the good fortune to see and hear John Paul the Great (in person) twice in my lifetime ~ once when he came to my home town and once when I went to his.  You could feel his holiness and those two moments are as vivid and 'live' to me now as they were then.  I feel three times blessed (ahh ~ the trinity ~ it's everywhere!) because my husband and I were able to receive Pope John Paul II 's 'apostolic blessing'  on our family a mere three days before his passing  (and there's that magic number again!).  What a grace!

Argent suggested Thesaurus Precum Latinarum for another great latin link  ( . . .  includes Basic Prayers, the various Creeds, prayers to the Trinity, hymns, psalms, canticles ).   Hat tip to Argent!  Be sure and check it out.

For all those who are interested in a little Latin ~ here is a link my mother sent me from The Cafeteria is Closed ~ check it out!