Monday, January 28, 2019

MAM: Imperfection as an Opportunity

JMJ

God Love you!

We are getting ready for the polar vortex here in Alabama, hoping for a school snow day so we don't have to venture outside in the cold. I'm pretty sure living up North would turn me into a hermit.

Today's episode of Mother Angelica was aired on March 5, 1996, a lifetime ago. A senior in high school nearing graduation, I look back on that time so warmly. I felt so much love growing up and I am very blessed for that.

The show is a good one and God did make me chuckle. I've been reading more this year (thanks to Audible) and I challenged myself with reading Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time". Well, in this episode I learned that Mother Angelica used to like to read these sorts of books as well, books about the universe, time and space and she relates this new found knowledge to God's awesomeness; as well as an appreciation of the Eucharist, the real truth of the body, soul and divinity, the awesome presence of God and what a gift it is.

She also talks about imperfection and how it is allowed, because in choosing to overcome it, we choose to get closer to God.

She also reminds us that we should never despair, that we've been called by God by our very existence. Every time I try to grasp that one concept, specially in the midst of some sadness, it fills my heart with so much love and peace.

She takes the following calls:

  • A little girl whose class will receive First Communion asking for prayers
  • A born-again Christian asks why do we have to go to a Priest for confession? 
  • A Catholic asking if is it wrong to attend non-Christian prayer meetings.
  • Asking for references to how to read the book of Revelation from a Catholic perspective as well as for the teaching of Purgatory
    • Mark 9:48
    • Sirach 7:37
    • 1 Cor 2:14
    • Luke & Matthew 12:32
  • What responsibilities/obligations do you have when your godchild leaves the Catholic Church?

She reminds us to "Be simple with God, He likes that!"



ADios!

Monday, December 10, 2018

MAM: Spiritual Blindness

JMJ

God love you!

This Monday I am blessed sitting here typing away on my pc while EAC plays with her Sesame Street casita. I'm not working yet so I plan to enjoy this time I have with her, every single second.

This week I'm sharing Mother Angelica's episode on Spiritual Blindness. Like all her episodes, it's a good one.



Some of the topics she covered:

  • to fight for Our Mother the Church with zeal!
  • she asks us to refect on whether we may have a spiritual blind spot
  • reads and reflects on John 9 - Jesus heals the blind man from birth (I absolutely love how she reads the Bible and ponders on each verse.)
  • Jesus was humility itself
  • when you believe in the truth, there is no common ground with the unbelievers
  • we need a Call to Holiness
  • she takes a call about suffering from melancholy
  • we need to ask Our Lord to give us a deep understanding of how much He loves us - so much beauty, peace and hope comes from believing that we are loved by Him

On a personal level, when things get bad I know it's a gift to feel His love. I pray you can share that love with someone today, to let them know Jesus loves them!

ADios

Thursday, November 29, 2018

A natter: Sweet Home Alabama

JMJ

So, it's been more than two years since I posted on this lil o'l of mine. So much has changed and yet so much has stayed the same.

I laugh because I realized that the last blog I posted was a day when I donated blood and had to answer whether I thought I was pregnant. I answered wrong. EAC joined us last year in February and she is just the most cuddly bundle of joy that God could have given us. We are blessed.

We are also living in Alabama right now. Never in my life would I have thought that I'd be living in Alabama. NEVER. It was a good move for the family and the kids are really enjoying it. We belong to a thriving Catholic parish and really feel like God brought us here. We do miss our EP family though, we all miss them so much. NCC cries almost everytime he sees his Abuelitos on the phone and it just breaks my heart. All we can do is trust in God and hope that His plan for us in the future is to bring us back together soon.

There are also a lot of changes for me dealing with work. I'm currently unemployed and starting to look for a work from home job. I have no clue what I'll be working on and  I'm trying to find something remote. It's so weird being unemployed after more than 20 years. God is good, so I'm just praying some of the Catholic companies I've applied to actually write me back. I applied to an EWTN postion, but unfortunately they don't do remote locations. It was still such a treat to apply!

So, that's what's going on over here in a snap shot. I'll try to post more often and I'm excited and hopeful about it all. Is there something new that y'all are looking forward to or hopeful about?

ADios!

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Little things: Quiet time

JMJ

God Love You!

Today, I felt a tiny bit like a junkie or an addict. I love my TV watching and internet surfing - I do. Today it just seemed too much.

I prayed to God yesterday, to help me make more time for Him - to teach me how. Today, as I was donating blood (go donate blood if you haven't) it was quiet and relaxing and I couldn't just sit there. I sat there and wanted my nook or a book so I turned to Pinterest to pass the time and my mind just felt so jumbled. There is too little quiet time in my life.

At home, we constantly have the TV on. It's a Caillou and Thomas binge watch early in the morning, followed by some "If I'm happy and you know it" sing a long time, then some GMA or Today for me. It is always on. I've tried to turn it off here and there, and I do limit the kids time as recommended - but I'm not good at limiting mine. I'm terrible it. Am I so afraid of being bored?

So like I've done before, I tried and today we had the TV going but a lovely classical piano station on Pandora. It was nice. I focused all my attention at the tasks at hand - the smile on my boy's face when we got the train going on his play track by itself. He tried to follow it around the table but couldn't catch up. His smile is priceless.

Then clean-up time with my BB, which resulted in no tablet for her tomorrow because of a blue stain on her bed which she so sweetly said she did not see. She is only five, but devastated by this harsh development. She needs the quiet time, though - just as much as I do and I must work harder to make it a part of our every day life.

This day, this quiet time was not silent - but more present. It is a little thing, but it is such a gift.

How do you get your quiet time in?

ADios!


Monday, June 13, 2016

The Sunday Plan: Pan de Vida

JMJ

Aloha my friends!

We have made it back from a beautiful vacation to Hawaii, we are blessed. Some of my friends have referred to it as visiting "paradise," and yes God's creations are magnificent - but paradise it is not.

I try to keep away from the news and so my husband told me about the latest tragedy on the way to Mass on Sunday morning. I didn't really know how bad it was until last night.

My heart hurts.

This week at Mass, the song below is the one that stood out to me and the rendition by this artist is beautiful and simple. We need more beauty in this world, more love. Always love.


Pan de Vida by Bob Hurd

Pan de vida,
Cuerpo del Senor.
Cup of Blessing,
Blood of Christ the Lord.
At this table, the last shall be first.
Poder es servir,
porque Dios es amor.

We are the dwelling of God,
fragile, and wounded and weak
We are the body of Christ,
called to be the compassion of God

Pan de vida,
Cuerpo del Senor.
Cup of Blessing,
Blood of Christ the Lord.
At this table, the last shall be first.
Poder es servir,
porque Dios es amor.

Somos el templo de Dios,
fragiles seres humanos.
Somos el cuerpo de Cristo
Llamados a ser compasivos.

Pan de vida,
Cuerpo del Senor.
Cup of Blessing,
Blood of Christ the Lord.
At this table, the last shall be first.
Poder es servir,
porque Dios es amor.

You call me teacher and Lord,
I who have washed your feet.
So you must do as I do,
so the greatest must become the least.

Pan de vida,
Cuerpo del Senor.
Cup of Blessing,
Blood of Christ the Lord.
At this table, the last shall be first.
Poder es servir,
porque Dios es amor.

Ustedes me llaman Senor,
me inclino a lavarles los pies.
Algan lo mismo umildes,
sirviendose unos a otros.

Pan de vida,
Cuerpo del Senor.
Cup of Blessing,
Blood of Christ the Lord.
At this table, the last shall be first.
Poder es servir,
porque Dios es amor.

There is no Jew or Greek,
there is no slave or free.
There is no woman or man,
only heirs of the promise of God

Pan de vida,
Cuerpo del Senor.
Cup of Blessing,
Blood of Christ the Lord.
At this table, the last shall be first.
Poder es servir,
porque Dios es amor.

No hay esclavos ni libres,
no hay mujeres ni hombres,
solo aquellos que hereran el reino que Dios prometio.

Pan de vida,
Cuerpo del Senor.
Cup of Blessing,
Blood of Christ the Lord.
At this table, the last shall be first.
Poder es servir,
porque Dios es amor.

A Dios!

Sunday, March 6, 2016

The Sunday Plan: Lead me to the Cross

JMJ

So yes, I'm going to sneak right on in like I haven't been absent from all things blog related in months and post today's beautiful, oh so beautiful song!

The verse that struck a chord with me was "Rid me of myself, I belong to You." It is so difficult for me to do this, I fight it like my BBs fight going to bed! There is prayer though, and I pray to always remember what He's done for me. May He quiet our souls and may we always remember.



Savior I come
Quiet my soul remember
Redemption's hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom

Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost
Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out

Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You

oh Lead me, lead me to the cross

You were as I
Tempted and trialed
You are
The word became flesh
Bore my sin in death
Now you're risen

Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost
Lead me to the cross
Where your love poured out
Lead Bring me to my knees

Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself I belong to you
Oh, Lead me!
Lead me to the cross

-instrumental-

To your heart
To your heart
Lead me to your heart
Lead me to your heart

Lead me to the cross where your love poured out
Bring me to my knees Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself I belong to you

Lead me....
Lead me...
Lead me to the cross
Where your love poured out

Lead Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to you
Oh Lead me
Lead me to the cross.
ADios!

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

MAM: Immaculate Conception

JMJ

God Love You!

12/7/2013

I know I have not posted in forever, but it gets real and busy most of the time and I'm so grateful for it all.

I've had this post on draft for a couple of months and as providence would have it, I get to post about it today - on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Here are some of the highlights Mother Angelica goes into:


  • For us to TRY to grasp the wonder of Mary
  • The Pieta and the degree of love in that piece
  • The awesomeness of our creation and how we're not awe struck at the wonder of God!
  • The hunger for God
  • The hunger to adore our Lady
  • The hunger for Holy Days of Obligation
  • Better to die with your boots on, than to have to face the Lord and say "I was too tired"
  • Get your soul in order - confession!
  • She takes a call about infertility

As I was reading this list, the hunger for Holy Days of Obligation jumped up out at me - the thought that we need to feel obligated to do something at times. How we sense a feeling of love when others expect something from us.

I see it in my daughter, when she asks me if it's seven yet. We have a rule that says "no Ipad after seven." She doesn't watch the Ipad often, but when she does she is somehow comforted in knowing that I have set some rules for her - for her own good.

So if you can, try your hardest to make it to Mass today!



ADios!