Feast of Saint Isadore the Farmer

I'm sharing this today because I have friends who are farmers. They are hard workers and diligent in their work and their love of the Lord. Farming is in itself HARD work and risky! A farmer knows not from year to year what will come of his efforts. He is at the mercy of the elements over which he as no control. And they pray.

When I shop for groceries, eat out, or spend time fixing meals I fear I don't spend time thanking these men and women who tend the soil. I take them for granted until the prices in the store rises and then I complain. I forget that they are the ones up early feeding the cattle, sheep, chickens, turkeys. They are the ones praying for rain so that the crops will yield a good harvest. Or for the farmers here praying the rain will subside long enough to get into the fields to plant.

Today I would ask you to take time our to pray for these very special people who feed the world!!!

Patron of National Rural Conference in the United States

St. Isidore, the Farmer

St. Isidore was born at Madrid, Spain, in the latter half of the 12th century. For the greater part of his life he was employed as a laborer on a farm outside the city. Many marvelous happenings accompanied his lifelong work in the fields and continued long after his holy death. He was favored with celestial visions and, it is said, the angels sometimes helped him in his work in the fields. St. Isidore was canonized in 1622.

In 1947, he was proclaimed the patron of the National Rural Conference in the United States. He is the patron of farmers, and his feast day is May 15th.

Prayer : God, through the intercession of St. Isidore, the holy Farmer, grant that we may overcome all feelings of pride. May we always serve You with that humility which pleases You, through his merits and example.

~~~+~~~

Thanks be to God and to
those who till His earth!

Astonomy Day, 2008

In the beginning...God created the heavens and the earth...
Genesis 1:1

This year's Astronomy Day wasn't quite as exciting as last year's
Adventures in Astronomy. But it was family time together none-the-less. Neil is an astronomer in training and must be what his Grandpa Keller was like when he was 8 years old. Neil has his telescope and time spent with his dad at Grandpa Ackerman's farm firing his rockets is what he really enjoys. Kids!!! Don't you love it?!

Neil really enjoyed the games while sister, Kellie and Mom looked on.

But while Mom and Neil made HIS constellation, Kellie and Grandma went to see the Rodin exhibition. The truth is Mom was quick to see the exhibition, too, as she is one of the art teaches at Memorial High School.

I was pretty pleased with my camera play as the picture actually looks like I'm looking at the earth and the Big Dipper from outer space...Right?

The last picture of the moon, though, was taken Monday night by Ron through his telescope and though it is not perfect it is really a wonderful picture of God's creation!!! That night the moon was not only clear but Saturn was displayed in all his glory!!!

~~~~~~~
Thanks be to Go!

Feast of Our Lady of Fatima

I must give credit where credit is due. I was lead to this by someone who visited this blog and offered this as a comment. I am embarrassed to say that my two years of Spanish did me no good as I visited this sight, La opinion de ciudadano. But the gift that was offered was tremendous and a wonderful witness to the youth of the world and their love of Our Lady. To this person I say, "Thank you."

I would also like to offer a word of encouragement by St. Bernard of Clairvaux :

If the hurricanes of temptation rise against you, or you are running upon the rocks of trouble, look to the star--call on Mary!

~~~~+~~~~
And Thanks be to God!

Discernment

Church of the Immaculate Conception
St Mary-of-the-Woods College

It seems like just yesterday when I had spent a wonderful week witnessing the work of God in my midst and felt that there must be something I was being called to do because of this experience. I wrote about it in the post This Week Ends. Last Sunday after Mass, I was approached by the head of the Adult Formation Commission, to which Ron and I belong, and asked me if I would consider becoming a Providence Associate.

To quote the information about the Sisters of Providence:

The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods are women of faith committed to effecting positive change in the world.

Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, foundress of the Sisters of Providence, was canonized on October 15, 2005 and Ron and I were privileged to attend the Mass of Canonization at the Woods the same day Pope John Paul II conferred her sainthood in Rome.

I have been blessed by the friendship of the Sisters over the years and am proud to call Sister Dorothy Rasche a dear friend. I have had the privilege of being educated at The Woods and received my degree from there in 1994.

Now, I have been called again. I want to be sure this is not my "Irish zeal" that is urging me on but a serious discernement of the will of God. Right now I am praying that this is the answer to those urgings I was feeling those few weeks ago. The preparation for becoming an Associate takes a year and I will journey with a companion through this period of discernment. I will not travel alone.

Please, I would ask that you would pray that this is the place God wants me to be right now and if it is indeed, I will be worthy of the call. I pray the Holy Spirit will endow me with the wisdom to know this is the call and the courage to follow His lead.

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

Doggie Wisdom

Duchess and Taco Bell

Duchess is so funny sometimes. She begs and begs and begs for something until we relent and she gets what she wants. The other night she wanted the empty can of refried beans. She barked. She whined...She whined, barked and jumped on our lap. Finally, just so we could have some peace and quiet, Ron gave her the can. Instead of devouring the dregs of the can, she painstakingly licked and savored its contents. Savored the contents!

This became a lesson in perseverance in prayer to me. If we pray diligently without wavering, in time the answer will come. Before joyfully proclaiming the answer to a prayer to one and all, take time to savor the goodness and love of the Lord. Thank him first. Cherish the moment with him, be enveloped by that moment. Boasting in our success at prayer will only leave us empty, if we have not first spent time in gratitude with the one who makes all things possible.

The soul of the sluggard craves in vain,
but the diligent soul is amply satisfied.
Proverbs 13:4

And so it is. Lazy prayer yields nothing but complaints from those who say their prayers are not answered. Because I have times of "lazy prayer" I have heard myself make that same complaint. But when I pray in diligence the rewards become so much more apparent and clearly visible. But prayer is HARD work, and when results don't seem to be forthcoming we get lazy. So, today commit to diligence. It won't be easy but then nothing worthwhile ever comes "easy." My dad always said, "Nothing is free. There's a price to pay somewhere or to someone."

So to Duchess, "Thank you for your lesson on prayer where even your empty can of refried beans did not come free to you. It came in your diligence."

~~~^j^~~~

God bless you all
And
Thanks be to God!