share our JOY

JOY{filled}family

striving to radiate Him always

Seven Sorrows of Our Lady

by Filed Under: 09 September, 09 September Saints, Marian, Our Lady of Sorrows

reposted from 9.15.10

Permit me, O Mary, to remain near the Cross, that I may share with you in the Passion of Jesus.

John 19:25-27

OL%20Seven%20Sorrows-thumb-300x311At that time, there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen. When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: "Woman, behold thy son." After that, he saith to the disciple: "Behold thy mother." And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own.

Seven Sorrows of Mary:

  1. The prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35)
  2. The flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15)
  3. Loss of the Child Jesus for three days (Luke 2:41-50)
  4. Mary meets Jesus on his way to Calvary (Luke 23:27-31; John 19:17)
  5. Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (John 19:25-30)
  6. The body of Jesus being taken from the Cross (Psalm 130; Luke 23:50-54; John 19:31-37)
  7. The burial of Jesus (Isaiah 53:8; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42; Mark 15:40-47)

The Seven Graces:

GIVEN TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT MEDITATE ON THE SEVEN SORROWS OF THE VIRGIN MARY
As revealed to Saint Bridget by the Blessed Mother

  1. I will grant peace to their families.
  2. They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.
  3. I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.
  4. I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.
  5. I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.
  6. "I will visibly help them at the moment of their death, they will see the face of their Mother.
  7. I have obtained (this grace) from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors, will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.

Fr. Faber on the Seven Sorrows

God vouchsafed to select the very things about Him which are most incommunicable, and in a most mysteriously real way communicate them to her. See how He had already mixed her up with the eternal designs of creation, making her almost a partial cause and partial model of it. Our Lady’s co-operation in the redemption of the world gives us a fresh view of her magnificence. Neither the Immaculate Conception nor the Assumption will give us a higher idea of Mary’s exaltation than the title of co-redemptress. Her sorrows were not necessary for the redemption of the world, but in the counsels of God they were inseparable from it. They belong to the integrity of the divine plan. Are not Mary’s mysteries Jesus’ mysteries, and His mysteries hers? The truth appears to be that all the mysteries of Jesus and Mary were in God’s design as one mystery. Jesus Himself was Mary’s sorrow, seven times repeated, aggravated sevenfold. During the hours of the Passion, the offering of Jesus and the offering of Mary were tied in one. They kept pace together; they were made of the same materials; they were perfumed with kindred fragrance; they were lighted with the same fire; they were offered with kindred dispositions. The two things were one simultaneous oblation, interwoven each moment through the thickly crowded mysteries of that dread time, unto the eternal Father, out of two sinless hearts, that were the hearts of Son and Mother, for the sins of a guilty world which fell on them contrary to their merits, but according to their own free will.

— Fr. Frederick Faber, The Foot of the Cross.

Resources

Coloring Pages

Pictures

OL%20Sorrows-thumb-250x318

Stabat Mater Dolorosa
At the Cross Her Station Keeping

Stabat Mater Dolorosa is considered one of the seven greatest Latin hymns of all time. It is based upon the prophecy of Simeon that a sword was to pierce the heart of His mother, Mary (Lk 2:35).

AT, the Cross her station keeping,
stood the mournful Mother weeping,
close to Jesus to the last.

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,
all His bitter anguish bearing,
now at length the sword has passed.

O how sad and sore distressed
was that Mother, highly blest,
of the sole-begotten One.

Christ above in torment hangs,
she beneath beholds the pangs
of her dying glorious Son.

Is there one who would not weep,
whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ’s dear Mother to behold?

Can the human heart refrain
from partaking in her pain,
in that Mother’s pain untold?

Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
she beheld her tender Child
All with scourges rent:

For the sins of His own nation,
saw Him hang in desolation,
Till His spirit forth He sent.

O thou Mother! fount of love!
Touch my spirit from above,
make my heart with thine accord:

Make me feel as thou hast felt;
make my soul to glow and melt
with the love of Christ my Lord.

Holy Mother! pierce me through,
in my heart each wound renew
of my Savior crucified:

Let me share with thee His pain,
who for all my sins was slain,
who for me in torments died.

Let me mingle tears with thee,
mourning Him who mourned for me,
all the days that I may live:

By the Cross with thee to stay,
there with thee to weep and pray,
is all I ask of thee to give.

Virgin of all virgins blest!,
Listen to my fond request:
let me share thy grief divine;

Let me, to my latest breath,
in my body bear the death
of that dying Son of thine.

Wounded with His every wound,
steep my soul till it hath swooned,
in His very Blood away;

Be to me, O Virgin, nigh,
lest in flames I burn and die,
in His awful Judgment Day.

Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence,
by Thy Mother my defense,
by Thy Cross my victory;

While my body here decays,
may my soul Thy goodness praise,
safe in paradise with Thee. Amen.

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

by Filed Under: Exaltation of the Holy Cross

O Crux, ave spes unica!

“How splendid the cross of Christ! It brings life, not death; light, not darkness; Paradise, not its loss. It is the wood on which the Lord, like a great warrior, was wounded in hands and feet and side, but healed thereby our wounds. A tree has destroyed us, a tree now brought us life.”

~Theodore of Studios

Finding of the True Cross

THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS

Traditional & New Calendar – September 14

GREATER DOUBLE / RED

This feast commemorates both the dedication of the basilica built by Constantine for the Holy Sepulcher, and also the return of the True Cross to Jerusalem by Emperor Heraclius of Judea during the seventh century. After Heraclius had recovered it by force from King Chosroes of Persia, he tried to carry it along the Via Dolorosa to Calvary, but was unable to make any headway. Bishop Zachary of Jerusalem, pointing to his luxurious clothing, said, “Attired in these rich robes, you are far from imitating the poverty of Jesus Christ and His humility in bearing His Cross.” The Emperor caught the hint–and went on to Calvary barefooted and wearing a simple cloak, carried the holy Cross to the Basilica on Calvary [A.D. 629].

INTROIT Gal. 6:14But it is fitting that we should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is salvation, life, and resurrection for us, by whom we are saved and delivered.

Ps. 66:2. May God have mercy on us and bless us; may He let His face shine upon us; and may He have mercy upon us.
V. Glory be . . .

~~~

On the Cross human misery and divine mercy meet.  The adoration of this unlimited mercy is for man the only way to open himself to the mystery which the Cross reveals.

~~~

way of the cross
SHORT INSTRUCTION ON THE WAY OF THE CROSS

What is meant by the Way of the Cross
The Way of the Cross is a devotion, approved by the Pope, by which we meditate upon the passion and death of Christ, and especially upon His last way of sorrow to Mount Calvary.

How did this devotion originate?
The pathway which our Lord Jesus Christ had to follow from Jerusalem to Mount Calvary, was the real Way of the Cross. His holy Mother, and other pious women, as also the beloved disciple St. John, followed Him on this painful journey;  (Matt, XXVII. 56. John XIX. 25, 26.) and the apostles and early Christians animated by veneration for these places, made sacred by the sufferings and death of Jesus, often traversed the same pathway. In the same spirit, in later times, many came from the most distant countries to Jerusalem to visit these sacred places to increase their devotion. In time, pictures, representing different scenes of the sufferings of our Lord, were erected along this route, and were called Stations; when the Saracens conquered the Holy Land, in consequence of which visits to it became dangerous, almost impossible, the Roman pontiffs permitted the erection of stations of the cross in other countries. The first to erect stations in their churches were members of the Franciscan Order, and by degrees this devotion, supported by the Roman pontiffs and favored by indulgences, spread throughout the entire Church. A pathway was sought which led to elevated ground; this elevation was called the Mount of the Cross or Mount Calvary, and along the route pictures representing our Lord’s sufferings, as related by the evangelists, or made known by tradition, were erected, or else the pictures were hung in churches, and the place where they stood, or the pictures themselves, were called stations; of these there are fourteen.
Is the practice of this devotion of the Way of the Cross of great value?
Next to the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and holy Communion, there is certainly no devotion which represents better to us the sufferings and death of Christ than the Way of the Cross. St. Albertus Magnus says: “A simple remembrance of Christ’s sufferings is worth more than fasting on bread and water every Friday for a year, and scourging one’s self unto blood.” St. Bernard gives us the reason of this, when he says: “Who can consider the sufferings of Christ and be so void of religion as to remain untouched; so proud that he will not humble himself; so vindictive that he will not forgive; so fond of pleasure that he will not abstain from it; so hard-hearted that he will not repent of his sins?” And St. Augustine says: “What pride, what avarice, what anger can be cured otherwise than by the humility, the poverty, the patience of the Son of God? All these virtues are found in carefully meditating on that way of pain which our Saviour went, and along which we should follow Him.” On this account several of the Popes, among others Clement XII. and Benedict XIV., have granted many indulgences to the  performance of this devotion; indulgences which may be applied to the suffering souls in purgatory.

~Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine’s The Church’s Year

~~~

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

LOVE AND THE CROSS

The Church proposes that we consider the penitential aspect of our lives one day each week – on Fridays – by reflecting on the Passion of Christ. On this day, many Christians consider with greater care the sorrowful mys­teries of Christ’s life, or they accompany him on the Way of the Cross, or they read or meditate on his Passion.  It is a good day to examine more carefully how we habitually bear contradictions and the generosity – fruit of love with which we seek out voluntary mortifications in little things; or how we struggle against our selfishness, laziness or the desire to be well thought of, to be the centre of attention. Other points for examination might include the small mortifications that make the lives of others more enjoyable; being cordial in our dealings with others; not giving into bad moods that perhaps will lead to brusque manners; smiling when we tend to be more serious; being punctual in our work or studies; eating a little less of what we like most or a little more of what we like least; not eat ing between meals; keeping our desk, wardrobe or room neat and orderly; not giving in to curiosity; guarding our senses with refinement; not complaining about excessive heat or cold or heavy traffic…

~Fr. Francis Fernandez In Conversation with God

~~~

ae_finding_and_exaltation

Suggestions for Family Activities

Women for Faith and Family

  • If possible attend Mass together. Consider taking your family to a church that has especially fine Stations of the Cross. Look at the images and explain their meaning. At each Station pray, “We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee, for by thy Cross thou hast redeemed the world”. At the end, have the children kneel before the Blessed Sacrament and say a Hail Mary, an Our Father, and a Glory be.
  • Make the evening meal today more festive than ordinary — light candles on the table or use the good dishes.
  • Read one or more of the prayers or scripture readings for the day before the evening meal. Older children could take turns doing the readings.
  • Begin teaching even the very youngest members of the family to make the Sign of the Cross at the end of the mealtime prayers. (Older brothers and sisters usually will be very glad to help the baby with this.)
  • Explain to children the meaning of the Sign of the Cross that we make before meals, and point out how this action is intended to unite every one of us with Jesus’ sacrifice for us — His crucifixion and His resurrection from the dead.
  • Make a point of mentioning how great is God’s loves for us. Encourage children to memorize John 3:16. This is a key verse about the triumph of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross, and encourages children to revere and respect God’s word in the Bible. Give a small reward or privilege to each child who memorizes the verse. Have them recite it for you when they say their bedtime prayers.
  • Two suggestions:
    — Have grade-school-age children write the verse in their fanciest writing and illustrate it with a drawing of Jesus on the Cross. Even little people think a lot when they are drawing something. Maybe you could set a crucifix on the table for them to look at when they draw it. (Don’t forget to display the results on the refrigerator — or maybe send it to grandma.)
    — Frost a sheet cake with white icing, and make a large Cross on the cake with red icing, and pipe “John 3:16” on the Cross. Let the children help decorate the cake further by sprinkling it with silver dragees or colored sprinkles.
  • If there are crucifixes in the children’s rooms, make sure to call attention to it at bedtime prayers. If not, today would be a very good time to get them.

~~~

Resources:

Coloring Pages & Crafts:

~~~

“Lord Jesus, I have received the cross, I have received it from Thy hand: and I will bear it until death, as Thou hast laid it upon me. indeed the life of a good religious man is a cross, but it is cross that conducts him to Paradise.” ~Imitation of Christ, Bk 3

~~~

~~~

Hail, O Cross, our only hope!

 

The List

by Filed Under: Clean Eating, The List Leave a Comment

The kids desire to be healthy.  Dad and I are  always explaining the food choices we make.  We want them to have a clear understanding about what we put into our bodies and it’s effect on our health, good or bad.  They have come up with a simple check system when they come across something that they are not sure about, “Is it on the list?”

Here is the basic framework for our list.  We do make modifications, of course.

no:

  • gluten
  • sugar
  • grains
  • legumes
  • dairy

yes:

  • meat
  • fish
  • fowl
  • vegetables
  • fruits
  • roots
  • tubers

How I Got Here ~ Part 1

by Filed Under: My Journey, Wellness 2 Comments

**updated since original post in early 2011**

I’ve known for a long time that something had to give in way of my family’s daily diet. We were, what I considered, a normal family. We ate the typical balanced Standard American Diet (SAD). Still, we were always striving for more. Our bodies were crying for help. There were series of escalating illnesses, allergies, behavior problems, miscarriages, fatigue, and intense mood swings. Something had to give.

The mainstream doctors were of little help. They always desired to medicate any symptoms that I put before them. There was a period of time that I thought this was my new normal. I diligently tried to accept this new state as my cross and decided to offer it all up. It soon became unbearable.

Seeds that I had to abandon the SAD had been planted for many years. A dear friend had been encouraging us for seven plus years to go clean with our diet. I offered every excuse in the book. You know how it goes, “I could never go without my bread or sweets. I don’t have the time to prepare meals from scratch. I can’t afford to eat organic. What will we eat?  I’ll starve my family. I don’t need to go to that extreme, I’ll just apply moderation to my diet.” I was not willing to do the impossible and did not see the need.

The seed began to take root with time and continued suffering. I began to research clean living options. I would get excited with what I was reading and then get crushed when my husband and children did share my enthusiasm. Time would pass and something new would happen in my life to lead me back to researching. The excitement would swell and then diminish due to the lack of will power and support from my family. I eventually managed to find a balance, or so I that.

I turned to running for the added boost I needed. Surely, my physical and emotional aliments could be solved with exercise. The increased physical activity did help but the physical symptoms actually worsened. Still, I held on to exercise with all my might. I fought against my body’s cries. I became more depleted with each day of long runs. My body turned to carbohydrates. It was the only thing that provided me with immediate relief. The problem was that the relief was short lived. The cycle continued and my family suffered right along with me.

Then I received a sweet consolation. I met a kindred spirit while on a field trip with the kids. She was two years older than I and had children in the same age range as my own. We were learning how to make whole grain bread from scratch. We got to sharing. She shared her daily regime and family’s diet. I became intrigued, further interrogating her — I was desperate for answers. “Why do you eat this way? Have you always eaten like this?  What symptoms were you experiencing?” It was as though she was in my home recalling what I was experiencing. I so closely identified with her that I welled up with tears. They were tears of joy. I realized at that moment that I was not the only one who suffered from such fatigue, pain, depression, and sloth. There was hope! I was not the miserable mother that I was coming to believe I was. I realized that I was most likely suffering from adrenal insufficiency.

adrenal

I came home that day and busied myself with researching adrenal insufficiency/fatigue. I so closely identified with the symptoms and causes. Who would have thunk that finding out your illness would lead to such elation? Elated I was. I shared the news with my husband. “Baby, thank the Lord! There’s hope for me!!!! I know what my problem is! I have Adrenal Exhaustion.”

adrenal symptoms

adrenal causes
The journey continued. I was left with my self-diagnosis since I did not have health insurance and was on a very limited budget. I began to identify all the ways in which I could help my body return to a functioning state. I did what I could within my means, which means only the things that did not come out of pocket or completely remove me from the demands of being of mom of a large family. I turned to my number one physician, my Heavenly Father. I sought to glorify God with my body and health. I prayed for a complete healing if it was His will for me.

My flesh was weak and the trials continued. I was not able to make the necessary radical changes in my lifestyle. My sad normalcy continued. Eventually my prayers were answered in the most undesirable way—I miscarried for the third time. My heart was broken and my womb ached. Still, I trusted that the Good Lord was leading me to something more. I prayed to surrender completely. I could not go on alone.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
~2Corinthians 12:9-10

I needed to be in full union with Our Lord. He called me to fully unite myself to Him. I sought direction and rallied my prayer warriors. I went forth to the desert to hear Him speak to me.

It became clear that the Good Lord willed me to have a complete healing of body and spirit. He showered me with the graces to move forward and radically change my daily diet.  There was a peace with each forward movement.  Each new nugget of info that I uncovered was like a missing piece to a perplexing puzzle — such sweet consolations.  I knew that I must take my family along with me. My husband agreed that the entire family must make the necessary changes to truly glorify God with our bodies.

We adopted a strict Paleo diet.  The entire house was purged of all processed foods, sugars, and every other item that contained ingredients that we could not pronounce.  All seven of us strictly adhered to this new lifestyle for 30 days.  It seemed as though time was in slow motion and daily life was riddled with challenges that never existed for us prior to these changes.  Yet, we persevered with His grace.

Soon, the 30 days turned into 45 days, 60 days, ….  I had experienced such great improvements in my well-being that others began to ask what I was doing.  My husband was astonished at the level of improvement with my mood.  We even witnessed a complete turnaround in our children’s health and behaviors.   We were convicted to carry on with this lifestyle of a cleaner, natural way of eating.  I prayed that He would continue to be my guide and continue to shower me with His grace so that I could live such a radical call for His glory—ALL FOR!

***UPDATE*** 

9.2012 – It’s been about a year since my family adopted a modified Paleo diet.   During that year I experienced my fourth miscarriage and eleventh pregnancy.  I’m due in February with our newest blessing.  We have not been perfect but we are committed.

(This is not an endorsement for self-diagnosing oneself.)

{pretty, happy, funny, real} zoo edition

by Filed Under: {phfr}, Picture Recap, Summer

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
Every Thursday, here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!

~~~

2011-09-045

We visited the zoo at the end of August.  We couldn’t resist, the price was right–FREE!

P8292213

It was Dragonfly’s first trip to the local zoo.  He nearly leaped out of his seat when he saw the first animal.

P8292217

Papi was our tour guide for half of the day.  He definitely kept things interesting.

P8292241

Papi could be found on Dad’s shoulders for the other half of the day.

2011-09-0432011-09-0412011-09-042011-09-042

P8292222

Rose and I enjoyed our time together when Dad would go ahead with the Little’s.

2011-09-044

We were able to treat the kids to some rides at the nearby amusement park since our zoo entrance was free.

It was a splendid day and wonderful way to enter the new school session.  DEO GRATIAS!

Mary, Mother of God ~ Cheerfulness

by Filed Under: 01 January Saints, Little Flowers, Marian, Mary's Birthday, Wreath III

SS Little Flowers 2011-12

We kicked off a new year of Little Flowers on the First Saturday.  We now have 35 Little Flowers!  Praise God!

We are on Wreath III and I decided to focus on Mary, Mother of God and Cheerfulness for the first meeting.  We had a Marian Birthday Party.

Happy Birthday Mama

The girls were delighted to come together for such a glorious celebration shared with Mass and friends.

Marian Birthday

Marian Birthday Menu: inspiration was found at Catholic Cuisine

  • Bake Blueberry French Toast
  • Cream cheese Lily Rolls
  • Marian Snack Mix
  • Fruit
  • Mary’s Prayer – Blue Chocolate Dipped Pretzels
  • Dried Blueberries
  • Mary Cookies
  • Cheer Sticks – Veggie Straws
  • Blue Drinks

Mary, Mother of God

I invited the girls to share what they knew about the Blessed Virgin.  We honed in on her cheerfulness in all situations.

We spoke of times when the girls have been cheerful and times when their cheerfulness was lacking. Then we identified what a non-cheerful “Yes” sounds like vs. a cheerful “Yes.”  The girls enjoyed proclaiming a “Yes” like Mary.

The girls also generated a list of words or phrases that could be said to cheer someone else up.

  • Cheer up!
  • Be happy!
  • I Love You!
  • Smile!
  • Be Joyful!
  • Jesus Loves You!

Cheer Card for a FriendA friend gave Sparkles this cheer card.

The talk on cheerfulness led us to our crafts.  The girls created Cheer Cards, cards that they could give to someone else in need of a smile.

P9032354

The girls also created a Mary, Mother of God journal.  I encouraged them to use their journal to record their cheerfulness, pray intentions, post their holy cards, and other spiritual practices.Mary Mother of God journal

We closed the meeting with the Rosary.  Unfortunately, we were a bit short on time and could only pray an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.  We prayed for an increase in cheerfulness and and the intentions of the Blessed Mother.cupcake rosary

The girls brought up their flower for Mary and ate a Hail Mary cupcake.

May we be cheerful like Our Blessed Mother.

~~~

Mary, Mother of God

January 1

Ave - Holy Mary Mother of God

~~~

Handouts: (in order)

Resources:

 

 

Mater Dei, ora pro nobis.

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

by Filed Under: 09 September, 09 September Saints, Blessed Mother Teresa, Mother Teresa of Calcutta 1 Comment

motherteresa3

The liturgical celebration of Blessed Teresa on 5 September is observed by the Missionaries of Charity as a “feast”; for all others the celebration is observed as an “optional memorial”.

MTwords

mother teresa crop v1

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, you showed us the beauty of a life lived in and for love and you never stop reminding us that we are all “created for greater things, to love and be loved." Help us to live, like you, a life of love that is worthy of our calling as children of God. Amen.

Prayers Requested

by Filed Under: Prayers 2 Comments

The following prayer request was sent to me today.  I pass it on to you in charity and trust that you will storm heaven for this dear family.
image

~~~
“Then were little children presented to Him, that he should impose hands upon them and pray.  And the disciples rebuked them.  But Jesus said to them:
Suffer the little children to come and forbid them not to come to me; for the kingdom of heaven is for such.”   Matt. 19:13-14.

The Harder family has suffered a devastating loss in that two of John and Janice Harder’s six children died yesterday in a tragic boating accident in Montana.  The boys, John Anthony and Joseph Thaddeus, aged 8 and 4 respectively, were their only boys and were unable to survive the frigid conditions of the water where they were capsized and remained for several hours.  A third child, Cecilia Rose, was given CPR and a faint pulse was detected.  She has been upgraded from intensive care and looks to be pulling through.  Her patron, St. Rose of Lima, whose feast was yesterday, is most assuredly watching over her 

…This tragedy has devastated the family and has left the boys’ parents disconsolate, even while they recover from their own injuries. 

Our Faith tells us that these beautiful boys are in heaven as it was made “for such”.   Of course, we should always pray for the repose of their souls, but given their young age and innocence, we can be assured of their salvation.  However, those left behind are in great need of our prayers and support.  Please pray for John and Janice and their four young girls who must face a home with an empty room and a lifetime of bittersweet memories.  They cannot but be buoyed by your prayers and support. 

An account is being opened in the family’s name to help defer the medical and funeral expenses.  It is not clear whether the family had sufficient insurance to cover such a catastrophe which necessitated two or three life flights and hospital stays in two different hospitals in two different States.  In addition, a young family does not expect funeral expenses and no contingency plans were made in that regard.  Any amount you can afford will be most appreciated by the family. 


If you are able please send what you can {email me at JOYfilledfamily*dot*com for the contact info to donate to the family}.  

Thank you for your prayers and good wishes.

—Update—
Two children drown in Big Horn Lake

Storm claims two lives on Big Horn Lake

Prayer Request

by Filed Under: Prayers 11 Comments

imageI was hoping to make a wonderful announcement in the upcoming weeks. Instead, I am left to humbly ask for prayers. I pray for God’s will and His grace to joyfully accept it.

Also, I am desiring to unite my trial and suffering for others in need, in addition to the intentions of Our Blessed Mother. I invite you to leave your intention in the comments or email me privately (JOYfilledfamily{at}gmail{dot}com). You can be as detailed or vague as you desire.

May I completely surrender and allow Him to use me as He wills.

Ad Jesum per Mariam,

Lena

 

“Suffering is a gift of God.  It’s a sign that we have come so close to Him that we can share His Passion, that we can share the joy of loving with Him in pain, in suffering.”

~ Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

Subscribe to our Newsletter