Wednesday, December 31, 2008

*A New Year's Wish To All.................December 31







Glory to God in highest heaven,
Who unto man His Son hath given;
While angels sing with tender mirth,
A glad new year to all the earth.

Martin Luther

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

*Glory to God..........December 30





"Christ saved men not with thunder and lightning,
but as a wailing babe in the manger
and as a silent sufferer upon the Cross."
St. Jerome


Polish words at top say "Happy Holy Days of God's Birth" (probably referring to the "Twelve Days of Christmas" (through Epiphany).
Angel's banner has the Latin "GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO" (literally, "Glory to God in the heights").
Below the clouds are banners (in the colors of Poland's flag), crossed spears, a crown, and the Polish "coat of arms" (a stylized white eagle on a red background).

Monday, December 29, 2008

*Silent Adoration..........Decembere 29



"Gaze upon Christ,
Consider Him,
Contemplate Him and desire to imitate Him."

St. Clare of Assisi to her nuns

Sunday, December 28, 2008

*Feast of the Holy Family......December 28




Feast of the Holy Family supersedes the Feast of the Holy Innocents when the date falls on a Sunday.

"We can't help thinking of the millions who aren't given a chance to be born, the little ones killed in the womb. ....Child Jesus, help us protect and defend life."


from MY DAILY VISITOR, November/December 2008





Feast of the Holy Family calls us to commemorate the life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph and to model our family life after theirs.

Joseph provided, Mary took care of the family in her
home and would have taught Jesus Scriptures and prayers of their people.

Make of your home a family church in which to find sanctification. Put Christ at the center of all individual and family life by working and praying together, reading Scriptures and worshiping as a unit.

.....parts taken fromwww.aquinasandmore

Saturday, December 27, 2008

*St. John, Apostle and Evangelist......December 27





FEAST OF ST. JOHN,
Apostle and Evangelist


"We have come to know and to believe
in the love God has for us.
God is love,
and whoever remains in love
remains in God and God in him"

(1 John 4:16).


Friday, December 26, 2008

*St. Stephen..........December 26


FEAST OF ST. STEPHEN
First Martyr




The martyr bears witness to the faith
by remaining true
to the point of death.









Thursday, December 25, 2008

*Joyous Christmas...December 25






Prayers are being made for you
On this Christmas Day,
Prayers that God may bless you
In His own loving way,
Prayers that He may send you
From His home above,
His greatest and most priceless gifts
Of Faith, Hope and Love.















Wishing all who come
to this blog the most
joyful and blessed
Christmas.

Today we have
received HIM whom
we love and who loves
us more.

Thank you all for the blessings you share with me.
I consider each and every one of you
a gift from God.


Hugs to all,

Micki and Family

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

*Mary's Music..........December 24






Jesus comes down from heaven
to establish a dwelling place among us.
Mary gives the music of her heart to
accompany the gift she brings.


The Latin words on this card mean the following:
"O Queen conceived without original sin, pray for us."

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

*Child Jesus..........December 23




"God became a little child
to enter into our world;
our becoming childlike
is a sure way to enter into His kingdom."

from MY DAILY VISITOR,
November/December 2008

Monday, December 22, 2008

*Is He Here Yet?..........December 22







Are you ready for God,
the almighty, all-perfect, all-knowing?
Are you prepared for HIM to come?
Is there anything that should be
"cleaned up" in your life
to prepare for His coming?


from Creative Communications "Prepared?"

Sunday, December 21, 2008

*Fourth Sunday of Advent........December 21





"O God,
fill us with a holy longing
for the coming of your Son, Jesus,
to brighten our dark and dreary world."

from LIVING IN HOPE,
Henri Nouwen's writings

Saturday, December 20, 2008

*Courage..........December 20



Mary's courage is one of love....in just five days She courageously gives us Him.



"Courage does not always roar.
Sometimes it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying,
I will try again tomorrow."

Anonymous


French Translation:
"O Jesus, You gave Yourself completely to me.
I give myself to You without reserve and forever!"

Friday, December 19, 2008

*God's Presence..........December 19




"Joy, it has been said, is the sure sign of God's presence. Those who live in the Spirit of Jesus are happy, grateful, compassionate and generous people.

As we welcome the coming of the Lord into our hearts and our homes, let us be prepared for the joy of Emmanuel, God with us."

from WAKE UP TO JOY, Mark Neilsen

Thursday, December 18, 2008

*Waiting for the One We Love......December 18


"Advent...leads to a growing inner stillness and joy allowing me to realize that the One for whom I am waiting has already arrived and speaks to me in the silence of my heart."

from the writings of Henri Nouwen

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

*Make Ready for Him..........December 17





As the children make ready for
His coming by placing statues
in the creche, let us remember
during this Advent day, to open
our minds and hearts and
invite the Holy Spirit to prepare
us for Christ's coming in such
a short time.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

*Jesus in Cradle..........December 16






As we fix our attention on Jesus
and the manger this Advent,
let's also turn our gaze
to the final home
He has prepared for us
--heaven.


French Translation:
"O Humble Maidservant of the Lord, your sacrifice begins with your joy. Sweet Jesus is born to you, but He is in poverty and destitution."

Monday, December 15, 2008

*Pray one Our Father..........December 15









"It is better to say one Our Father
fervently and devoutly
than a thousand with no devotion
and full of distraction."

St. Edmund

Sunday, December 14, 2008

*Third Sunday of Advent..........December 14


Advent Thought

Three words for the Third Week of Advent
Happy, Hopeful, Anticipation



Feast of St. John of the Cross


"In the dark night of the soul, bright flows the river of God"

St. John of the Cross

Saturday, December 13, 2008

*St. Lucy........December 13




Lucy's feast is celebrated during the season of Advent, when we wait for the coming of Christ our Light.
Lucy, whose name means "light," kept the light of her faith burning.
Perhaps because her name means "light,"
she is the patron of eyes.





Read about St. Lucy

Friday, December 12, 2008

*Our Lady of Guadalupe..........December 12





"For we are certain
that as long as you are recognized
as Queen and Mother,
Mexico and America
will be safe."


Pope Pius XII

Thursday, December 11, 2008

*Meet Christ..........December 11




"We can't meet Him there (in our hearts) if we can't meet the naked Christ in the street."
St. Basil


Often we limit ourselves to visiting the child Jesus in the decorated crib in the church and forget the Christ who is amidst the poor and hungry. This Advent, let's come out of our narrow worlds and meet Christ in our life situations.
from MY DAILY VISITOR, Dec. 7


German words mean:
"Let us love Him, because He first loved us."
(based on 1 John 4:19)

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

*God's Love..........December 10







Let us think of God's love during
this second week of Advent.
God's love made human in the baby Jesus.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

*St. Juan Diego..........December 9


"For I am a merciful Mother to thee and to all thy fellow people on this earth who love me and trust me and invoke my help. I listen to their lamentations and solace all their suffering..........."

Words spoken to Juan Diego from the Blessed Virgin Mary



Read St. Diego's instructions from Mary regarding her wishes here

Monday, December 8, 2008

*Feast of the Immaculate Conception..........December 8



Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women.

We firmly believe that Mary was shielded from all stain of sin by the the grace of God.

She was the first tabernacle to hold the body of Christ.

The Immaculate Conception
Patron of America
Read about OUR LADY OF AMERICA


Latin words mean, "A New Star, the Immaculate Virgin."

Sunday, December 7, 2008

*Second Sunday of Advent........December 7





This Advent let us prepare for God's coming through humility and repentance.

Let your "precious guide" help you on your way to Confession/Reconciliation.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

*St. Nicholas..........December 6





St. Nicholas was known for his charity. Let us look closer at our thoughts regarding material goods in this Christmas season and find ways to share more with those in real need.

There is a legend that St. Nicholas raised three children from the dead who had been killed and put into a barrel, and thus became the patron saint of children. Legend grew so that he became associated with helping and loving children, and this also contributed to the legend of Santa Claus.

Read more about St. Nicholas.


Here is a translation of the French words on the front of today's St. Nicholas card:[The hanging sign says, "Butcher Shop"]
[At the bottom:] "St. Nicholas and the Miracle of the Three Little Children. Ask him for his help in your small troubles. He will protect you from dangers of the present day, and he will maintain the faith in your serene souls. Never in vain did a child invoke his assistance."I looked at the poem on the back of the card and got a very rough translation of it. I decided not to perfect the translation because the text is pretty gruesome (about the butcher's preparation to kill the kids), and I don't think that it adds anything of value.

Friday, December 5, 2008

*Desiring to Receive..........December 5




"I love so much a soul's desire to receive Me,
that I hasten to it
each time it summons Me
by its yearnings."


Words of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Thursday, December 4, 2008

*Stairway of Heaven..........December 4



Mary may be truly called the Stairway of Heaven.
By her God descended from heaven to the world
so that by her we might ascend
from earth to heaven.

St. Fulgentius



[At the top:] The Imitation of Jesus Christ, or the Three Degrees of Perfect Conformity.
[In the halos:] Let us go! ... Thus, Father ... Let it be done, let it be done, let it be done.
[At the bottom:] In the first, one accepts the Cross with resignation ...In the second, one accepts the way with filial submission ...In the third, one embraces it with faith and love.
.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

*Feast of St. Francis Xavier......December 3




"It is not the actual physical exertion
that counts toward a man's progress,
nor the nature of the task,
but the spirit of faith with which it is undertaken."

St. Francis Xavier





St. Francis Xavier - Friend of Children

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

*Church..........December 2









"A church is a hospital for sinners,
not a museum for saints."


L.L. Nash

Monday, December 1, 2008

*Religious Nuns..........December 1






"No one has a right to sit down and feel hopeless.
There's too much work to do."

Dorothy Day




Let us thank in prayerful remembrance, all that the
religious sisters have given to us in their teaching, nursing, and holy prayer filled lives.