Haiku My Heart

Prayers for the journey

It continues everyday

Providence the guide

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God

Cathy

I've been so busy this week that I forgot Share the Joy Thursday and nearly forgot today Haiku My Heart.  Tomorrow begins the women's Christ Renews His Parish weekend at church and I would ask for your prayers for its success.  I will give my witness and though I trust i the Providence of God, I would be silly if I did not ask for your prayers as well.  So to you all, I say, "Thanks!"

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

~~Weekend Wrap-up~~

This last week has been a week of ups and downs.  So it's time to share...

The best thing that happened to me this week was the facial I had...Oh, my how rejuvenating!  Made me feel renewed!  And then gathering with my Ultreya   group for sharing and prayer...rejuvenated again!

The worst thing that happened to me this week was, though I'd don't think I'd say the word I would use is the "worst," when grandson, Jonathan, was hospitalized, sent home stable, and then readmitted yesterday.  Today he will undergo an appendectomy.  It's hard for us because we cannot be there.  I do have the power of prayer on my side, though.

The funniest thing I saw/heard/did this week was when I asked a patient the name of her GYN she told me he was new to her and she thought his name was "S-freakin-aroni.  Oh I can't pronounce it!"

The craziest thing I saw/heard/did this week was overlooked as if there was anything crazy out there I missed it with all else that was going on.

The thing I was most thankful for this week attentive and good doctors. 

Now, it's not too late for you to join Sue at In Him We Move And Live And Have Our Being for Weekend Wrap-up!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Devotion MEME

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana

Esther at A Catholic Mom in Hawaii tagged me for this meme which calls me to name my 5 favorite Catholic devotions. And so it is that I begin with this reminder.

Regardless of the hour;

Whatever you have to say, 

God has time to listen

If you have time to pray.

Ken Brown

1. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.


2. Scriptural Rosary especially Rosary of Praise, A Scriptural Rosary Base on John Paul II's Rosary Meditation by Larry and Connie London


3. Meditation on the Stations of the Cross


4. Liturgy of the Hours and reflections offered in The Magnificat.


5. Novena and Litany in Honor of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus

So now I tag: 

Tracy  
Cy
Abbey
Sue
Lisa

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and may God bless you all abundantly!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Catholic Prayer Meme

My friend Esther at Catholic Mom in Hawaii tagged me for this Catholic Prayer Meme. So here are the guidelines.

"Name your three most favorite prayers, and explain why they're your favorites. Then tag five bloggers - give them a link, and then go and tell them they have been tagged. Finally, tell the person who tagged you that you've completed the meme... The Liturgy and the Sacraments are off limits here. I'm more interested in people's favorite devotional prayers."

There are many prayers I pray daily. Often stopping to pause at work to gather myself by offering a simple ejaculation. The prayers I pray the most are these.

1. The prayer to the Holy Spirit. Ever since I was a child, my father taught me that in order to find peace of mind and a sense of calm, praying to the Holy Spirit was important. In times of stress and even in joy, I often ask in prayer, "Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love..."

2. I pray the rosary. Though one could argue it is a group of prayers, when I pray it I see it as unifying prayers into one source of reflection and devotion. I pray most often the scriptural rosary as I am able to contemplate the life of Christ and the fullness of His blessing He has bestowed on me and my family.

3. Finally, I call upon Saint Michael the Archangel. One should never enter the day without being prepared to do battle against the forces of evil and who better to assist in that than Saint Michael himself.

There are oh so many others I pray each day but these are the most prominent.

Now five to which I offer this gift.

1. Laura
2. Abbey
3. Bia
4. Lisa
5. Lee

Please visit these and others to learn about their prayer habits. This can only bless us all and offer new insights into prayer!

~~^j^~~
Thanks be to God!

Retreat at Saint Mainrad Archabbey

St. Meinrad

St. Meinrad, martyr is venerated as the patron and in some sense the founder of the Benedictine abbey of Einsiedeln in Switzerland which has kept an unbroken continuity since Carolingian times. He settled as a hermit at Einsiedeln, where he was murdered by two ruffians to whom he had given hospitality in 861. His feast day is January 21st. (Catholic Online)

Feast Day: January 21

I'm off to a time of prayer, instruction and community. May God bless you all most abundantly this weekend.

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Thanks be to God!

++Today's reflection is at Provident God++

Tea Talk

It's Thursday after Ash Wednesday. A perfect time to reflect on our journey this Lent with a warm cup of your favorite tea. Join me, won't you?

I'm having...Irish Breakfast tea this morning.

My teacup is... is a plain white cup. No frills. A reminder of the simple life we are called to

I'm feeling... happy in anticipation of the retreat I begin tomorrow at Saint Meinrad Archabbey.

Pray with me this Prayer For A Lenten Journey found in Lent and Easter, Wisdom from St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi. Compiled by John V. Kruse.

Almighty, eternal, just and merciful God,
give us miserable ones
the grace to do for You alone
what we know you want us to do
and always to desire what pleases You.
Inwardly cleansed,
interiorly enlightened
and inflamed by the fire of the Holy Spirit,
may we be able to follow
in the footprints of Your beloved Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ,
and, by Your grace alone,
may we make our way to You,
Most High,
Who live and rule
in perfect Trinity and simple Unity,
and are glorified
God almighty,
forever, and ever.
Amen.
~St Francis of Assisi~
"A Letter to the Entire Order," 120-121

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Thanks be to God!

Now it's time for you to visit Ruth at Celebrate Friendship is hosting Tea Talk at her house. I'm wishing all a grand day!

Music In Prayer

High Museum
Atlanta, GA
April, 2007

St. Augustine once said, "that a song sung, is a prayer prayed twice." So even when I am humming a song I am often reminded that I am, indeed praying the words as they run through my mind. Consider there are 150 Psalms. Early Christians recited them daily. Hear the Gregorian Chant during prayer. Music is centering. Music is harmony and discord. Music is life.

I reflected on these words by Archabbot Lambert Reilly, O.S.B. from his book Latin Sayings for Spiritual Growth.

Cantare amantis est
("To sing is characteristic of the lover")
St. Augustine

When one is in love one can't stand still and keep quiet. One must speak to the beloved. One must speak of him. And sometimes, filled with the love that is too much for words, one must sing.

The Psalms are our love songs to God. Some are attributed to King David, others to unknown figures, all of whom bring forth tin their songs all the sentiments, emotions, feelings, and desires that anyone who knows love is able to experience.

It is the Spirit who inspires the lover and it is the lover who sings the glorious dependence on the Lord God in the Psalms, the prayer book of the Holy spirit.

But I will sing of thy might;
I will sing aloud of the steadfast
love in the morning.
For thou has been to me a
fortress and a refuge in the
day of my distress.
O my Strength, I will sing praises
to thee, for thou, O God, art
my fortress, the God who shows
me steadfast love.
~Psalm 59:16-17~

So it is as a lover of God, one's music becomes a gentle offering of prayer. Voices lifted in praise, thanksgiving, petition and repentance, like incense, rise to heaven as an offering to the Almighty God! Whether gifted in voice and music or not, one should not be restrained from offering this gift. And so I say to one and all, "SING!!!"

~~~^j^~~~
Thanks be to God!

Praise God!

Another lovely weekend here in Indiana. It was much warmer than it had been in past weeks but a grand weekend all the same. Now it's time to give credit where credit is due. I offer much praise and thanksgiving to the one who made it all happen. Glory be to God. Please journey to Jennifer's Chocolate Heart and share in the "praise."

1. Praise be to God for the wonderful time Ron and I had just doing something as mundane as grocery shopping.

2. Praise Him in the quiet of this Sunday afternoon.

3. Praise Him for his assistance in completing the final unit in my Providence Associate process.

4. Glory and praise for the affirmation of friends and family.

5. Finally, praise God! I have finished the baby afghan before Daniel's arrival. The baby shower is in three weeks.

Daniel's afghan

Now I am ready for the new week to begin. How about you?

~~~^j^~~~
Thanks be to God!

Wash Day

My friend Maggie has gifted me with this "little ditty." Please enjoy as I did!

~*~

Monday Wash Day

Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and
Vanity, so I may serve you with perfect humility
through the week ahead.

Tuesday Ironing Day

Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles
of prejudice I have collected through the years
So that I may see the beauty in others.

Wednesday Mending Day

O God, help me mend my ways so I will not
Set a bad example for others.

Thursday Cleaning Day

Lord Jesus, help me to dust out all the many faults
I have been hiding in the secret corners of my heart.

Friday Shopping Day

O God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may purchase
eternal happiness for myself and all others in need of love.

Saturday Cooking Day

Help me, my Savior, to brew a big kettle of brotherly
Love and serve it with clean, sweet bread of human kindness.

Sunday The Lord's Day
O God, I have prepared my house for you. Please
come into my heart so I may spend the day and the
Rest of my life in your presence.

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Monastic Cell of the Heart

Monastic cell at Convento de La Santa Cruz, Queretaro
Originally uploaded by schechter02

Build yourself a cell in your heart, and retire there to pray. ~Saint Catherine of Siena~

I was personally bowled over by this quote. I struggle with prayer. Have for as long as I can remember. Disappointment, anger and sorrow are words I would use to describe how I feel about my prayer life.

I can't be quiet! How do you do that? I'm a babbling brook!!! Words running helter skelter through my mind. In conversations with friends I am even uncomfortable with "quiet pauses." I wonder if God "turns the volume down" when I start to communicate with him. Me doing all the talking.
.
Centering prayer is a time before prayer to allow focus. Sometimes that works for me and at other times I might as well turn on the radio and listen to the Beach Boys for all the good it does.

As I travel the Road to Providence I am certainly now more aware of His hand in my life. And even in my prayer life, I must give him credit. And why not, for he is the creator of ALL things.

Example, this week. I called my brother, Tom, to work out dates for our visit the end of the summer to see him and Kathleen. As we chatted he mentioned that Kathleen's mother was in the hospital with some serious heart problems and so Kathleen was away. For no particular reason that I can see, I had added Kathleen's mother to my prayers this week.

Two things struck me after I hung up the phone. First, I was called to visit Tom in his "aloneness." He was anticipating Kathleen's return, and was able to share with another his story. Second, the call to pray for Kathleen's mother obviously came from the Holy Spirit, and even though I didn't realize it at the time I was listening! [YES!] The God of Providence again made inroads into my "cell."

I am glad I was reminded of my "cell" today. I will reflect upon its use. And maybe I will be reminded to spend more time THERE when I pray!!!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!!

Monastic cell at Convento de La Santa Cruz, Queretaro
Originally uploaded by schechter02

What do you think?

Strawberry and Milk
Originally uploaded by Nate Flickinger

"He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." ~Luke 3:3~





A Priest once told me that, in his experience, people have felt more guilt for violating their diets than they have in committing sins.

Hmm.

~~~

Forgiving God, I admit my wrongdoing before you, hopeful for your mercy.

by Amy Welborn
A Catholic Woman's Book of Days

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I think I, too, might fall into that category...Falling prey to how I look on the outside is more important than the way my soul looks on the inside. Vanity!!! However, how I behave on the outside mirrors my soul on the inside. That should be cause to pause.

~~^j^~~

Thanks be to God

Today is our NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER. Please take time to participate! God is Good! Give Him a few minutes of your time.


Picture by Nate Flickenger

National Day of Prayer

Tomorrow it National Day of Prayer. It is most important that we take time out to pray for this country of ours. If your church is offering a prayer service please plan to attend. If there is an opportunity for you to pray with others wherever it may be please avail yourself of this opportunity.

My parish of St. John the Baptist here in Newburgh is having a small meal and then we adjourn to the church for our prayer service and for a homily by our guest, Father Alex Zenthoefer. It's a real opportunity as a community to offer our petitions for this nation to the God who watches over us.

God has been so good to us! We have been blessed in so many ways. Though we certainly are not perfect and we have our faults this nation is built on a foundation of prayer. Though some would like to think otherwise, I truly believe that we are obliged by our giftedness to offer thanksgiving for what we have and ask for the Creator's intervention in all our needs. We have an obligation to serve this country in many ways. One of those ways is through communal prayer.

~~~^j^~~~

For the the freedom to
participate in communal prayer,
Thanks be to God!

Road to Providence

Dear friends, I will be on retreat at Saint Mary-or-the-Woods starting tomorrow evening. I would ask that you keep me in you prayers! Thank you all!

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Thanks be to God!

Jesus Is the Prayer

In the Season of Lent when we strive to offer more fruitful prayer, when we try to make our prayers more reverent and purposeful, I offer you this reflection by Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.

In reality there is but one prayer, only one substantial prayer. Jesus Himself.

In your life Jesus comes as the Bread of Life to be eaten to be consumed by you. This is how He loves you. Then He comes as the hungry one, the Other, hoping to be fed with the bread of your life, with your heart by loving, your hands by serving.

Jesus has drawn us to be souls of prayer.

Jesus is our prayer, and He is also the answer to our prayer. He has chosen to be Himself in us the living song of love, praise, adoration, thanksgiving, intercession and reparation to the Father in the name of the whole creation (unpublished.).

Love: a Fruit Always In Season

Daily Meditation by Mother Terese

Edited by Dorothy S. Hunt

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Thanks be to God!

Bad Haiku Friday

"When you're at a loss,
Don't know where you are going.
Give me a call"...God

It's funny how things come together. He gives you the words and then sends you to the instruction. And so He did this day. I was just going to post this and that would be that. Then I picked up Archabbot Lambert Reilly's book Latin Sayings For Spiritual Growth.

Here is where I was led:

Pedibus compensunda est memoria
("A forgetful head makes a weary pair of heels")
Traditional
~~~

The cook who has her ingredients ready before she turns on the stove has a much easier time of it than the one who must bustle about the kitchen, opening boxes, measuring, chopping; and cleaning all at once. The teacher who doesn't plan spends more time on discipline than instruction. The shopper who heads to the mall without a list on the day before Christmas is bound to lose his holiday spirit by dusk.

We can waset a lot of time vainly spinning our wheels, not only in the practicalities of life but to our spiritual lives as well.

We think that because we are unique and our sense of God is so personal and lies so deep within, that we are completely on our own when it comes to prayer. We flounder and wander, thinking that no one else can help, that no one else can understand our particular challenges.

It's just not so. Not one of us is the first person alive to seek intimacy with God. Millions have gone before us, and innumerable others have written about their journeys. Fellow friends of the Lord in our own parishes and homes surround us. Their stories, their experiences with prayer, can be of great value to us. In forgetting the gifts our fellow Christians have to offer, we make our solitary journeys all the more weary.

Archabbot Lambert Reilly, O.S. B.
St. Meinrad Archabby
St . Meinrad, IN

~~~

And so, my companions-on-the-journey I offer this as reflection today. I, too, will contemplate these words. My thought, as I read this, was "How gracious God is to lead me to the gentle lesson of the Archabbot and how wonderful it is to be reminded that I am not alone on this journey and that you all have a great deal to teach me. What a comfort that is and it makes me less "weary."

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Prayer for Strength

One of the books I use most for reflection is A Catholic Woman's Book of Days by Amy Welborn. Finding that her husband, Michael Dubriel, had died unexpectedly has left me saddened as it has many. So I went to her reflection for today. This I offer as a testament to her wisdom and courage.

Even though you intended to do harm to me
God intended it for good, in order to preserve
a numerous people, as he is doing today.

Genesis 50:20
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This ends the story of Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers. The harm they intended him was turned by God into a great good as the people of both Egypt and Israel were rescued from famine by Joseph's gifts.

God's ways among us are mysterious, but one thing we do know is that turning misfortune or weakness into good is just what he does. I've seen it countless times in my own life, and there are probably just as many times i haven't because I wasn't looking.

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Loving God, today I'll pay attention to what you
have to show me about the painful parts of my life.

As she has offered me hope through her words, I offer my prayers to her and her children. If you wish you may offer your condolences at Fr. Z's Blog.

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

A Short Note...

Have been without elelctricty since about midnoc. Ron and Roy drove to Terre Haute to meet Marianne and Eric who picked up two generators they got from Lowes in INDY. Computer is only on long enough to ask you to pray for the 40,000 people without electricity in this area and Eastern KY, as well. (The computer is a luxury right now.) Roads are awful, as before we go the 6 inches of snow there was an inch of ice and freezing rain for nearly all day yesterday. God will provide and indeed he has in the generosity of those here. God bless us all and you, too.

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!!

As in "The Quotable"
There is no contradiction in
his kindness, nor any defect in his wisdom.

Billy Graham's Prayer for Our Nation

'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!'

Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,' and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'One nation under God.'

Think about this: If you forward this prayer to everyone on your e-mail list or place it on our blog, in less than 30 days it would be heard by the world.

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God

The Journey Continues...

_MG_2265 Eagle Approach
Originally uploaded by Joe McCabe

to pray for the Pro-life movement. Because we have completed the Pro-Life Rosary Novena and the Pro-Life Novena sponsored by the Knights of Columbus this Holy Crusade must continue. I am grateful to all who have assisted and participated in these nine glorious days of prayer...BUT do not STOP the prayers!!!!! This "army" travels on the wings of prayer. Let us continue to fly!

~~~^j^~~~

Thank you again
and
Thanks be to God!!!

The Prayer

The topic this week...Prayer. There is much to learn and be taught about prayer. Interestingly, there is a lot written about prayer. So, while I have the chance, in preparation for my presentation I though I would share my wanderings with you.

In Catholicism for Dummies I found this.

We Are Family

In the Bible, a mother begged Jesus to drive a demon our of her daughter (Mark 7:25-30). The Church maintains that Jesus, being God and man, already knew that the daughter was plagued by a demon, so he didn't need the mother to tell him. But he allow and permitted the mother to get involved and ask for help on behalf fo her child.

Likewise, the Church believes that Jesus doesn't need the saints to tell him anything but he permits people to ask the saints to ask him for help. Why? Because humankind is all one family, all made in the image and likeness of God, all children of God, and all brothers and sisters in Christ, with Jesus being the brother. And the dead who should are with God are still part of the family of humankind and still connected to all on earth.

On the eve of a weekend when All Saints are honored and All Souls prayed for I offer this as reflection on Prayer. Wishing you all peace of mind and love of the Savior through prayer.

I would also ask for YOUR intercessory prayer for Evelyn Bethel, the is the mother of my friend Karen, as she undergoes surgery today to repair a broken hip. May God the Father , the Son and Holy Spirit be with them all especially the surgeons who perform the surgery!

~~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God