tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234401929593912862024-03-13T14:26:06.431-07:00Meggie K. DalyAuthor of "Bead by Bead" and "For the Sake of His Sorrowful Passion" Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223440192959391286.post-74078706074260843002022-06-06T10:24:00.002-07:002022-06-08T09:59:15.767-07:00Review of "For the Sake of His Sorrowful Passion" by Catholic Reads<p>The following <a href="https://catholicreads.com/2022/06/03/for-the-sake-of-his-sorrowful-passion-praying-the-divine-mercy-chaplet-with-scripture-and-art-by-meggie-k-daly/" target="_blank">review</a> was written by Dr. Lisa Theus of CatholicReads.com:</p><p><span face=""Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #14153c; font-size: 17px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">If repetitive prayer is a struggle for you, Meggie Daly’s For the Sake of His Sorrowful Passion will be a welcome companion. Part testimonial, part history, and part devotional, this book leads the reader to a profound love of the Divine Mercy Chaplet. The focus of the book is the devotional. Daly makes no claims that this is the way to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, but she provides a friendly, thoughtful sample of sources and reflections to help your focus. For many of us, the help is welcome. Repetitive prayer can often become just that – repetition without spiritual fruit. Tips and aids for slowing down and devoting a few minutes more fully to prayer both help us to concentrate and allow God to speak to us in new ways.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9QNxgOQFL8ao1rS8g3tqjICIOiijyCepBvXpOCHzVu23rbTtM7rhvRR9N51SaeLys9UMks7IuHfk7O9Hjw8g5iWEzuNxDOrofwmXcwxKdHa7fHaIrIyv3BfHrpNEkGUeuBRW3DaxpfMstPcSa5cc0Av2yC0ftjLXuNseF4vpXlIvqIb9APwBYbwAqaQ/s320/catholicreads2.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="320" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9QNxgOQFL8ao1rS8g3tqjICIOiijyCepBvXpOCHzVu23rbTtM7rhvRR9N51SaeLys9UMks7IuHfk7O9Hjw8g5iWEzuNxDOrofwmXcwxKdHa7fHaIrIyv3BfHrpNEkGUeuBRW3DaxpfMstPcSa5cc0Av2yC0ftjLXuNseF4vpXlIvqIb9APwBYbwAqaQ/s1600/catholicreads2.png" width="320" /></a></div>But all three parts (testimonial, historical background, and devotional) serve an important role in providing context and motivation to include the Divine Mercy Chaplet in your prayer life. In the first part, Meggie Daly shares some of her conversion story, showing how the Divine Mercy of Jesus formed a thread in her return to the Church. In the second part, she introduces us to St. Faustina and the historical context of the devotion. Finally, she provides art, scripture, and reflection sentences to encourage a slower, deeper prayer time focusing on the Passion narrative.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The three parts complement each other perfectly. While the focus of the book is the devotional art, the testimonial and historical sections provide welcome context and encouragement. And no section overstays its welcome – readers who love testimonials will certainly want to know more about Daly’s story, and people wholly unfamiliar with the history of the Divine Mercy Chaplet have much still to discover, but in my opinion, both are at just the right length to provide the need-to-knows. I felt satisfied by each section, and although I’ve read St. Faustina’s diary and consider myself familiar with the Divine Mercy devotion, I still found new and interesting tidbits throughout the book.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">With its content, the book might not appeal outside of a Catholic audience. Daly’s conversion story is beautiful – and certainly not condemning of other Christian paths – but people personally skeptical or disinterested in the Church are unlikely to be persuaded or interested in hearing her view on how the Church really is merciful and has their best interests in heart. Still, I would love to get this in the hands of Catholics who identify as Catholics but struggle or even refuse to accept aspects of the faith. An encouraging word from someone who returned fully to the faith may provide a kindly nudge. The book is best, however, for Catholics curious about the Divine Mercy devotion who want an easy-to-read, friendly introduction to it; and for Catholics familiar with it who want a fresh approach.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPleDnl6VpNhZPkMLB2yLmDmZYsRlqaAd6RaSKn2sQ_rFwDEoDjY8DtUFkwQN9j00M-tz2bVoL7qHak8CUQH7vix4CbDAa4lPQ8ByE1hp9eDSD6O5HcKXlqhR5S6qZ1prIGvw-NFYe_GYy7_18HP9Fym52YoEifAKX0RrVXfi5fipTHVqnrmYtMeOlgw/s320/CathReads%20another%20header.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="146" data-original-width="320" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPleDnl6VpNhZPkMLB2yLmDmZYsRlqaAd6RaSKn2sQ_rFwDEoDjY8DtUFkwQN9j00M-tz2bVoL7qHak8CUQH7vix4CbDAa4lPQ8ByE1hp9eDSD6O5HcKXlqhR5S6qZ1prIGvw-NFYe_GYy7_18HP9Fym52YoEifAKX0RrVXfi5fipTHVqnrmYtMeOlgw/s1600/CathReads%20another%20header.png" width="320" /></a></div>My personal recommendation is to splurge on the physical, color edition of the book. Half of the book is devoted to a scriptural and artistic method of devotion, and a physical printing of the art makes it much easier to put aside distractions and practice meditative prayer. But whichever version is best for you, you’ll find it helpful, easy-to-read, and easy-to-use. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223440192959391286.post-756998286134211552021-10-01T13:49:00.004-07:002021-10-02T08:43:40.963-07:00The Invisible Woman<p> I’ve done it before, but never all by myself. Today was a
first.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Most people drove by without casting a glance in my
direction, or if they did see me, they acted as if I was invisible. I wasn’t.
But I wasn’t jumping up and down or shouting either. I was easy to miss with my
sign and rosary beads in my gloved hands. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I sat back from the sidewalk so as not to impede foot
traffic. One man jogged by, and several older women strolled by. Many others
simply rushed past. One young woman stood nearby as she waited for the metro
bus. Still, I remained invisible. One lady smiled as she walked her dogs out
for a day in the sunshine after four gray, rainy days. She saw me until she saw
my sign, <i>Pray To End Abortion.</i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WG90QO7Vj9Y/YVdzmly1sBI/AAAAAAAAAnM/sQv39CDJp5Y_m5tV-ICne7TS9SiSQ54XwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/1001211103.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WG90QO7Vj9Y/YVdzmly1sBI/AAAAAAAAAnM/sQv39CDJp5Y_m5tV-ICne7TS9SiSQ54XwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1001211103.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Six cars entered or exited the driveway to my left, leading to
the professional center that houses two businesses. One is Planned Parenthood. I
sat a couple of feet from the entrance. A young woman flipped me off as she
drove in a bit too fast. As she gestured, the underframe of her car banged hard
on the entrance incline. The loud
clang and ensuing jostle echoed my visibility. Another young woman drove by
and gave me a thumbs down. She saw me, too.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Perhaps I was more visible to younger women, the generation that has marinated in the lie that abortion is simply a woman’s right to
control her own body. I fear for this group of women, my daughters’ generation and younger. In my generation, there was a sense that extinguishing
an unborn life <i>might</i> be wrong. Abortion was certainly not something to “tweet”
about or mention in casual conversation.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If you’ve read this far, perhaps you are thinking: <i>I am
just one person, what can I do? </i>I want to tell you that you can do a whole
lot. You can pray the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet, spiritual weapons that
make a difference in the battle between good and evil. You can move mountains.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You can be visible. You can pray. You can join your local
40daysforlife campaign.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion
for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. </i>(Is:
49:15, NRSVCE)<o:p></o:p></p>Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223440192959391286.post-57781477458572539092021-06-21T13:28:00.000-07:002021-06-21T13:30:17.131-07:00Reflections on the Consecration to St. Joseph<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Our pastor recently invited our
entire parish to read the book, <b><u>Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of
Our Spiritual Father</u> </b>by Donald H. Calloway, MIC. The plan was to make a
parish-wide consecration to St. Joseph on Father’s Day. Well before the
start date, I purchased the Kindle version and began perusing the book to
decide if this “Consecration to St. Joseph” was for me.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I’d consecrated myself to Jesus
through the Immaculate Heart of Mary years back when Fr. Michael Gaitley’s
book, <u><b>33 Days to Morning Glory</b></u>, first came out. I take my Marian
consecration very seriously, and its impact on my spiritual life is right up
there with my return to the Catholic Church. Since I’d already handed everything over to Mary,
what was left for St. Joseph? I wondered, how many saints do I need to
consecrate myself to? And why St. Joseph
since Scripture tells us so little about him? Further, I asked, isn’t
consecration to St. Joseph more for men?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-STdKUiDnj6M/YND0w_8ImrI/AAAAAAAAAl0/D6kVKH6sQl4lKuUNoG8LC6Ou0RnE7ckqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1880/Sagrada_Familia_del_pajarito_%2528Murillo%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bartolomé Esteban Murillo: The Holy Family with a Bird (Public Domain)" border="0" data-original-height="1387" data-original-width="1880" height="295" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-STdKUiDnj6M/YND0w_8ImrI/AAAAAAAAAl0/D6kVKH6sQl4lKuUNoG8LC6Ou0RnE7ckqgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h295/Sagrada_Familia_del_pajarito_%2528Murillo%2529.jpg" title="Bartolomé Esteban Murillo: The Holy Family with a Bird (Public Domain)" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bartolomé Esteban Murillo: The Holy Family with a Bird (Public Domain)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sagrada_Familia_del_pajarito_(Murillo).jpg)</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">A scientist by training and temperament, I decided to “chomp” on some data. In other words, I began reading Fr. Calloway’s book. The introduction suggested that skeptics—fence-sitters like me—start reading Part II as an independent book, so that is where I started.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Fr. Galloway’s writing was
inspired by and contained the reflections of many saints, blessed, and popes
that I greatly admire. However, there were a good many that were new to me. The
author’s extensive literature search was impressive, and, frankly, the references
alone are worth the book’s price. The litany of St. Joseph provides the structure
on which the author organizes everything ever written about the head of the
Holy Family. </span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As I began reading, I pondered
the life and virtues of St. Joseph in a new way. About a third of the way into
Part II, I decided to give our parish’s St. Joseph consecration effort a shot.
I offered to facilitate an in-person group. This lively, small group provided
an opportunity to observe and learn how fellow parishioners responded to the
material in the book and a sounding board of sorts for me. At the very end of
the thirty-three-day preparation, I would decide whether or not I would consecrate
to St. Joseph. For me, the book was a getting to know St. Joseph, not a commitment
beyond that—initially, anyway.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">A good deal of the material in
Part I and II falls into the category of what I call guided reflection or
personal opinion about Jesus’s earthly father. I enjoyed seeing the differences
in the participants’ intake of this type of information. I advised our small
group to step up onto the reflections/opinions if they provided a better view
of St. Joseph, but to step over the reflections/opinions should they be
blocking for them. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">For many in our group, it was
easy and faith-strengthening to accept a) that angels moved the Holy Family’s
house to Loretto or b) that the wedding ring St. Joseph gave to Mary is in
Perugia or c) that Joseph was ever-virgin ord) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that St. Joseph was a young man, and so on. For
me, those were <i>possible</i> portraits or windows by which to gaze at St.
Joseph—not a prerequisite point of view for consecration to the Saint. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I asked each person to identify
the thing(s) that most influenced them to make the consecration should they
decide to go forward. Then, I encouraged them to choose the particular
consecration prayer that most reflected what they needed from St. Joseph, felt
towards him, and believed about him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(There are a variety of choices in the Appendix.) <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As I formulated the answer to my questions,
two lines of “evidence” nailed my decision to consecrate to St. Joseph:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>“He was chosen by the eternal Father as the trustworthy guardian and protector of his greatest treasure, namely, his divine Son and Mary, Joseph’s wife.” </i> St. Bernadine of Siena (pg. 206)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>“All fatherhood has its origin in God and finds its earthly model in St. Joseph. All fatherhood has the power to combat evil. Lucifer fears the fatherhood of St. Joseph more than any other creaturely fatherhood because the devil knows that there is no created person who has a greater participation in the fatherhood of God than St. Joseph.”</i> Fr. Calloway (pg. 221)</p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">As I prayed and meditated on the
two quotes above, I was astonished that I'd gone my entire life
without a devotion to St. Joseph. My decision to consecrate didn’t require that
I believe St. Joseph was a young man versus an older man or a life-long virgin
and so on. My decision rested solely on my trust in the wisdom of God. That God
the Father </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">knew what he was doing</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> when he chose St. Joseph as the
earthly father of Jesus and the husband of Mary. God the Father had
orchestrated St. Joseph’s unique participation in the fatherhood towards His
Son.</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So, in summary, my decision was
straightforward. Did I, with my father-issues, need a human spiritual father in
my life? Absolutely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did I believe that
the Church and the world need a manly, holy image of fatherhood? Undoubtedly,
yes. <i>This is the time of St. Joseph!<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">And with that, I consecrated to
St. Joseph along with our parish using the prayer below. This consecration
prayer (below) is a beautiful <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">compilation of the consecration prayers found in the </span><u><b>Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father</b></u><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> by</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Fr.
Donald Calloway, MIC (pg. 236), </span></li><li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">St. Peter Julian Eymard (pp. 237-238), </span></li><li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">St.
Bernardine of Siena (pg. 239) </span></li></ul>by a staff member, Carl-Eric Tangen, at my home
parish who added a few additional words.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Prayer of Consecration to St. Joseph</b></span><b><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><i><span style="color: #990000;">I, _______, a child of God, take you,
St. Joseph, to be my spiritual father. I am confident that Jesus and Mary have
led me to you; to know you, to love you, and to be totally consecrated to you. </span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">O
my beloved Saint Joseph, adopt me as your child. Be my father as you were the
father of the Holy Family at Nazareth. Teach me the interior life, the life
hidden away with Jesus, Mary in the Holy Spirit. I want to imitate the humble
silence with which you shrouded Jesus and Mary. Be my guide and model in all my
duties so that I may learn to fulfill them with meekness and humility: with
meekness toward my brothers and sisters, my neighbor, and all with whom I come
in contact; with humility toward myself and simplicity </span>before
God.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span>Take
charge of my salvation; watch over me day and night; preserve me from occasions
of sin; obtain for me purity of body. Through your intercession with Jesus,
grant me a spirit of sacrifice, humility, self-denial, burning love of Jesus in
the Blessed Sacrament, and a sweet and tender love for Mary, my mother who
loves you and longs to see you loved.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="color: #990000;">To
you, after Jesus and Mary, I consecrate my body and soul, with all their
faculties, my spiritual growth, my home, and all my affairs and undertakings.
Adopt me as a servant and child of the Holy Family. Watch over me at all times,
but especially at the hour of my death. Console and strengthen me with the
presence of Jesus and Mary so that, with you, I may praise and adore the Holy Trinity
for all eternity.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="color: #990000;">O
Jesus, my Lord, my brother, and Bridegroom of my soul give me Joseph for a
father as you have given me Mary as a mother. Fill me with devotion,
confidence, and filial love. Jesus, I long to become more and more conformed to
you. Teach me to entrust myself as a child to you daily, just as you entrusted
yourself to Mary and Joseph. Help me to love and entrust myself to them as you
did. Humble my heart today so that it can be a home for you and Mary and
Joseph, like Nazareth, once was. I am not worthy that you should enter under my
roof, but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><i><span style="color: #990000;">Jesus,
I trust in you. Amen. </span></i></span></p></blockquote>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223440192959391286.post-63127793416063532622020-12-02T09:27:00.004-08:002020-12-08T07:40:51.338-08:00The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">On December
8, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary. Blessed Pope Pius IX formally proclaimed Mary’s Immaculate
Conception in 1854—that God preserved her from the stain of original sin.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Between February 11 and July 16 of 1858, fourteen-year-old
Bernadette Soubirous (now a Saint)
began having visions of a beautiful Lady in Lourdes, France. On March 25,
Bernadette asked the Lady who she
was at the urging of her parish priest. The reply which came forth, <i>“I am
the Immaculate Conception,” </i>meant nothing to Bernadette, who’d never heard
of this dogma proclaimed less than four years prior. Notice that Our Lady of Lourdes did <b><i>not</i></b>
say, “I am immaculately conceived.” In perfect humility, Mary defined herself entirely
by proclaiming the work of God in her soul.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fghAXvJ68T0/X8fMDPNZ0PI/AAAAAAAAAgg/VdDgbdd6FvA4h7Kz2DOI8DRriZNsNrhdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/The_Immaculate_Conception%252C_by_Giovanni_Battista_Tiepolo%252C_from_Prado_in_Google_Earth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1114" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fghAXvJ68T0/X8fMDPNZ0PI/AAAAAAAAAgg/VdDgbdd6FvA4h7Kz2DOI8DRriZNsNrhdQCLcBGAsYHQ/w174-h320/The_Immaculate_Conception%252C_by_Giovanni_Battista_Tiepolo%252C_from_Prado_in_Google_Earth.jpg" title="The Immaculate Conception by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (c. 1767-1769) was originally part of an altarpiece, which now resides in the Prado, Madrid, Spain." width="174" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Immaculate Conception<br />by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo <br />(c. 1767-1769) </span> <br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Why was this revelation to Bernadette,
a simple, sickly girl, and not some great theologian? Perhaps because God, in His
infinite wisdom, rarely chooses as we would expect.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">As I ponder what Mary as “Immaculate Conception” means to me
in my day to day existence, I must back up to the very beginning of the story
of salvation history—all the way back to the “garden.” God created Adam
and Eve in an unblemished state to enjoy an intimate relationship with Him
directly. At some point, the first couple chose self-indulgence over obedience
to God, thereby separating themselves, and all of creation, from God’s plan of
perfect harmony and introducing death. We have inherited the rotten fruit of
our first parent’s choice (original sin) and thus bear an inborn tendency
toward sin (concupiscence) and inevitable death. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">After the fall, God the Father’s perfect plan redeemed us
from eternal death through the sacrifice of His Son, the God-Man, Jesus Christ,
which brings me to His Mother Mary. At the moment of her conception, the good
fruit of Christ’s redemption was imputed to her by a “singular” grace. (CCC
491) It is important to note that Mary had to be redeemed, just like us, as she
is fully human, sharing our nature but “full of grace” sufficient to allow God
to “tabernacle” within her womb. However, unlike us, Mary is uniquely holy,
never made a single choice of self over obedience to God.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Baptism washes away original sin–but
not our concupiscence. If Mary was free from original sin, was she also free
from concupiscence as we are? Since the twelfth century, Catholic theologians
have universally agreed that Mary was free from sin her entire life. St. Thomas
Aquinas maintained that, at the time of Mary’s conception, concupiscence was
present but bound—never actualized. Further, that only when Mary conceived
Christ in her womb was concupiscence wholly removed. (Summa Theologica, 3, q.
27, a. 3) If so, then can we then still look to Mary as our model for holiness?
And if her only Son was perfect, can she love a sinner-daughter like me? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mary has been called the “Reparatrix” for
her part in the divine plan to “untie” (or repair) the “knot” of Adam and Eve’s
disobedience. As the “new” Eve, Mary
is my “supermodel” of holiness and obedience. I rejoice that God’s pinnacle of creation
was a <b>woman</b> and that His plan of redemption required her “Yes.” Adam and Eve were free from original sin, yet
they weren’t able to give that 100% “Yes” to all that God asked of them, as did
Mary.<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">God desires to integrate us into the communion of love called
the Trinity. Mary has a special relationship with each Person of the Trinity.
She is the daughter of God the Father, the Mother of God the Son, and the
spouse of the Holy Spirit<sup>1</sup>. Every single woman alive, regardless of
her vocation in life, is mirrored through at least one of Mary’s relationships
with the Persons of the Trinity. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mary’s Immaculate Heart is intimately bound by mutual love
to the Sacred Heart of her Son. When we place ourselves under Mary’s mantle,
she leads us directly to her Son. Her perfect humility reflects all glory back
to God. Just as the moon has no light of its own and reflects only the light of
the sun, Mary reflects the light of the Holy Spirit. Oh, if we could all proclaim,
“My soul magnifies the Lord!” as did Mary.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">By meditating on the Mysteries of the Rosary, I have
deepened my relationship with and admiration of Mary. Freedom from the
nastiness of original sin didn’t preserve Mary from pain or suffering, any more
than it spared her Son. I know that I can run to her for intercessory help. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mary experienced the trauma of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy
that required an angel’s intervention to put Joseph at ease with its scandal.
Mary and Joseph experienced horror at losing their twelve-year-old Son in a big
city. I doubt that Mary fully understood what God asked of her at the Annunciation
and throughout her life with a precocious and miraculous son like Jesus. Mary, like
all young Jewish women, knew that the Messiah would come from a virgin birth,
but only time would unravel the meaning that the Messiah would be something
other than a political king. At the Annunciation, the angel said, “and his
kingdom will rule forever.” As Mary
witnessed her Son’s passion and death, she never faltered in her trust that God
knew what He was doing. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p>That is the kind of trust that I want for myself! Mary is my go-to saint of “All the Right
Choices,” “Unfailing Trust,” and “Perfect Humility.” She loves me despite my
many bad choices, or when I’ve lost heart too quickly, or stumble over my pride.
Christ bequeathed His Mother to us as
she stood at the foot of the Cross. Consider accepting her spiritual
motherhood. She is the mother who always
knows best. </p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">1.</span> See https://saintmaximiliankolbe.com/who-are-you-o-immaculate-conception/
for more on Mary as the spouse of the Holy Spirit.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223440192959391286.post-41044421743223771362020-09-15T16:45:00.001-07:002020-09-15T17:38:35.617-07:00The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows<p>September 15th is the Feast of
Our Lady of Sorrows. My favorite image of Our Lady of Sorrows is “Dolorosa,”
painted by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo in 1670. Here Mary appears not sad with tears
streaming down her face; instead, the artist depicts Mary with eyes, face, and hands lifted in prayer.
Murillo portrays Mary’s entire body in supplication as if offering her sorrow
and grief to the Father.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--S0Hoc-My_8/X2FQBZLDokI/AAAAAAAAAec/Dqk9Wm67MMouv01OGLMfLZeUKBgk-fR4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1519/Dolorosa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1519" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--S0Hoc-My_8/X2FQBZLDokI/AAAAAAAAAec/Dqk9Wm67MMouv01OGLMfLZeUKBgk-fR4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Dolorosa.jpg" /></a></div>Through Mary’s Immaculate
Conception, she received a special grace that allowed the merits of Christ’s
redemption to be applied at the moment of her conception. (1) Because of that, we may dismiss or minimize the testimony of Mary’s life and her sacrificial suffering. We may think that she had no choice but to say<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, <span style="background: white; color: #363936;">“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word,”</span><sup> 1</sup></span>
and was incapable of sin. But we would be wrong—Mary
had free will just as we do.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Perhaps we
forget that the first woman, Eve, was created without the stain of sin in her
soul. Moreover, Eve certainly had no worries or anxieties before the fall. Yet the absence of concupiscence, as original sin confers to us, did not
keep Eve from sinning (nor her husband, Adam).</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Mary’s
Immaculate Conception was <i>not </i>sufficient to preserve Mary from sinning—Eve
demonstrated that through her unfortunate choice. But because the Son of God
was to "tabernacle" and grow in Mary’s womb and she was to give birth to the Son of God,
her Immaculate Conception was necessary to provide honor and glory to whom Jesus was and
is! And although Mary had free will, rather than sinning, she chose to cooperate
fully with the extraordinary graces given to her. (2)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Thus, the
Immaculate Conception was <i>necessary</i> to honor Christ’s divinity but not
<i>sufficient</i> to keep Mary free from committing any sin. A life lived free from sin required effort on
Mary's part. The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrow reminds us that Mary<i> did</i> know
unspeakable suffering and sorrow. Her complete trust and submission to the will
of God through the events associated with this Feast of Seven Sorrows and,
indeed, agreeing to carry Jesus in her womb before she lived with Joseph, all
took place in a fallen world. She had choices and she chose well.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed
Virgin Mary that are historically associated with this feast are:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The prophecy of Simeon that a sword would pierce
the heart of Mary at the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2: 34-35).</p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The Holy Family’s terrifying flight into Egypt
to save the child Jesus from Herod’s massacre of the Holy Innocents (Matthew 2: 13-14)</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The loss of Jesus at age twelve in the
Temple of Jerusalem after Passover (Luke 2: 41-50)</p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Mary’s encounter with Jesus on His way to Calvary
while carrying His cross (Traditional Fourth Station of the Cross)</p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The Crucifixion of Jesus (Matthew 27:45-56, Mark
15: 33-41, Luke 23: 33-49, John 19: 17-20)</p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Mary witnesses the piercing of the side of Jesus
and holding His body removed from the Cross (John 19: 31-37)</p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The burial of Jesus. (Matthew 27: 57-61, Mark 15:
42-47, Luke 23:50-56, John 19: 38-42</p></blockquote><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">When I pray the
Mysteries of the Rosary, I often reflect on just how much Mary must have
trusted in the Lord when her understanding was lacking or incomplete. She
watched as God’s plan of salvation unfolded without the complete picture that
we, who are on this side of the Cross, are presented with through the
Scriptures.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Mary
understands our pain and losses more than we do because her Immaculate Heart is
perfectly united to her Son’s Sacred Heart. Mother Mary is the pinnacle of
God’s creation and worthy of our love, honor. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Mary, Mother of Sorrows, pray for
us!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">(1) See <a href="https://www.ncregister.com/blog/did-mary-need-to-be-redeemed">https://www.ncregister.com/blog/did-mary-need-to-be-redeemed</a>.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">(2) See <a href="https://www.catholic.com/qa/did-mary-have-free-will">https://www.catholic.com/qa/did-mary-have-free-will</a>.</p>Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223440192959391286.post-43085607699793727822019-11-07T10:11:00.000-08:002019-11-07T10:17:42.745-08:00The Divine Beauty Parlor<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Many times I have attended a funeral only to hear, “Well, at
least he is not suffering anymore,” or “She is in a better place now.” Before I
reverted to my Catholic faith when I fancied myself an Evangelical Protestant,
I felt a bit uneasy when I heard these statements. My childhood Catholic roots
would gnaw at me even though I tried my best to dismiss them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I now recognize that my discomfort with those well-meaning
words, intended to console the living, suggest that the departed ones no longer need us when they may need us most! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (which is
my second favorite book after the Bible), purgatory is not so much a place but
a state of the soul. In purgatory any remaining attachment to or needed reparation
for sin is purged from the soul so that it may enjoy the full beatific
vision:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="color: #990000;">“All who die in God's grace and
friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal
salvation; but after death, they undergo purification, to achieve the holiness
necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” [<a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p123a12.htm"><span style="color: #990000;">1030</span></a>]</span><span style="color: #660000;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think of purgatory as the final preparation of the soul
for its wedding to the Lamb. This wedding (or divine union) is the eternal
vocation of each person. It is why God created us. I like to call purgatory the
“<i>Divine Beauty Parlor</i>” of the soul.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h7x7_MUk64s/XcRcpO6vVII/AAAAAAAAAZM/Wb_hEMRr_pMtptbp5ydbOVLR6YjD7dQgACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Peter_Paul_Rubens_purgatory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="365" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h7x7_MUk64s/XcRcpO6vVII/AAAAAAAAAZM/Wb_hEMRr_pMtptbp5ydbOVLR6YjD7dQgACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Peter_Paul_Rubens_purgatory.jpg" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Purgatory by Peter Paul Rubens [Public domain]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The primary cause of the suffering of those in purgatory is
their separation from God. The purifying love of God mercifully removes the
rust of sin that would interfere with our perfect union with God. Souls in purgatory
happily submit to this great blessing, although there is great suffering, too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The souls in purgatory can no longer make reparation for
their sins or intercede for themselves; that possibility ended with their
bodily death. <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/column/st-catherine-of-genoas-vision-of-purgatory-2349">St
Catherine of Genoa</a> and <a href="https://www.prayforsouls.org/library/references/diary_passages.php">St. Maria
Faustina</a> have much to say about the souls in purgatory their need for
us to pray for them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The tradition of praying for the dead did not begin with the
Catholics; it began with the Jews as recorded in the book of Second Maccabees [
<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/2maccabees12">2 Macc 12:46</a>]. The Councils
of Florence and Trent reaffirmed this tradition based on the New Testament
Scriptures. [<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/3">1 Cor 3:15</a>;
<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/1peter/1">1 Pet 1:7</a>] <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The month of November is specifically designated
to pray for the souls in purgatory. A wonderful way to intercede for our
deceased loved ones, and all the souls in purgatory, is to pray the Rosary. A fervently
prayed Rosary placed in the hands of Mother Mary supercharges our prayers for
the dead. I love the image of Purgatory by Rubens because it shows Mary interceding for the souls in purgatory.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you have tried to the Rosary and struggle with it,
perhaps my <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0722YNH3K">book</a> can help
you. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223440192959391286.post-46524750999838830722019-07-24T16:24:00.000-07:002019-07-24T20:50:08.644-07:00The Blessings of an Open Hand<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">What is <span style="color: #990000;">poverty of spirit</span>?
Others have defined it as utter dependence on God or as the emptying of self to allow room for God’s love—both excellent definitions.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Poverty of spirit requires daily work <i>on my part</i> to defer to God’s will without a fight and with joy when
it conflicts with my own will and involves personal sacrifice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Something like holding my “stuff” in an open hand and allowing the Lord
to pluck away what He wants. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cjZiwxtzuGY/XTjjcomLuhI/AAAAAAAAAXM/E9dxz6MH5hk1O8dBbttV5tdTXxYU-5CjwCLcBGAs/s1600/hand-1044883_640.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="640" height="204" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cjZiwxtzuGY/XTjjcomLuhI/AAAAAAAAAXM/E9dxz6MH5hk1O8dBbttV5tdTXxYU-5CjwCLcBGAs/s320/hand-1044883_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">What kind of stuff? For me, it could
be my health or that of a loved one, material possessions or financial security,
or even my dreams and plans, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">all the while trusting that He has something
different but better for me in the long run.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It is one thing for me to pass
on a new pair of shoes, or to do something I don’t want to do occasionally, or
to accept limitations of an older body, but releasing the grip on my plans for the
next four years and allowing them to be changed entirely. Well, that is a bit
harder. Okay, it’s downright tough.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">When I realized that my
retirement would be spent babysitting my adorable grandkids instead of focusing
on my writing projects, gardening, and traveling at will with my husband, I finally
owned that I was going through a grieving process—even though I was confident that
babysitting was God’s will. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Three months into the ten-hour to eleven-hour day of caring for two toddlers five days a week, I can honestly say that it is the best job I ever had. Mothers that stayed at home may not be surprised at my “discovery,” but I was never a stay-at-home-mom. I always had a full-time career that sometimes required transcontinental travel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Finally, I have relaxed into my retirement “overhaul” and allowed the Lord to pry my fingers loose from my plans to accept the gracious gift of His plan. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">And the bonus: my husband is job-sharing with me, 50/50. Yep, that took a while, but it happened. Wahoo!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> </span><i style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="30029011"><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; padding: 0in;">For I know well the plans I have in mind for
you—oracle of the LORD—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give
you a future of hope.</span></a><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; padding: 0in;"> (Jer 29:11</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="color: #990000;">, NAB)</span></span></i></div>
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<br />Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223440192959391286.post-29622282539252394712018-06-30T11:01:00.000-07:002018-06-30T14:14:27.129-07:00The Gift of Earthen VesselsThe earthen vessel of my body is wearing out. The passage of time is etched in a growing crop of wrinkles, verified by once-black hair now salt-and-pepper, and further evidenced by taut muscles and stiff joints. My brain occasionally takes a circuitous, slow route to retrieve and deliver that perfect word to the tip of my tongue. Retinal detachment nearly cost my vision in one eye.<br />
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I see my closest friends transitioning to a new relationship with their bodies, too. My best friend, since grade school, recently came to visit. Although not quite old enough to draw a social security check, my friend now wears hearing aids to help manage a hereditary late-onset hearing loss that will result in the severe deafness. Another friend is dealing with more frequent and severe ulcerative colitis flare-ups.<br />
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We all hear, half in lament and half in jest, “Growing old is not for the weak of heart,” or “If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken care of my body!” But consider the bright side associated with the breakdown of our bodies: we have the opportunity to face our mortality head-on. We become keenly aware that we will not live forever—on this side of the grave. That awareness is the gift!<br />
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My awareness of the transience of life is an invitation to take inventory of my life, to decide what is most important, to commit to a daily routine of prayer for the living and the dead, and to cultivate devotions, like the Rosary.<br />
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I ask, "What do I want the last third of my life to look like?" and "What lessons I have learned through the mistakes of the first two-thirds of my life?" I look back to see the hand of God gently, patiently teaching me—using even my sins—covered over with His Grace and Mercy. I am learning to lean more into God because it is clear that I cannot do everything like I used to do. That realization is a gift!<br />
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I observe non-Christian friends and family members searching for the meaning of life. I rejoice to know that even dead-end detours, leading away from the path of Truth, will result in disequilibrium because of the powerful homing device planted in my loved ones' hearts by the Creator. One of my favorite saints, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), said that all those who seek truth, seek God, whether it is clear to them or not. (https://bit.ly/2MCFiDb) I confidently pray that my loved ones will knock at the door where Christ stands waiting for them. That confidence is a gift and springs from the prayers of a broken earthen vessel that God still uses.<br />
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“But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.” (2 Cor 4:7, NAB)<br />
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Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223440192959391286.post-46900356847543632362018-04-05T11:27:00.001-07:002018-04-05T11:31:00.804-07:00When Things of Heaven Are Wed to Those of Earth<i>This short article explores the tie between the first part of the Easter Vigil celebrated on Holy Saturday and Divine Mercy Sunday. </i><br />
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The Catholic Church celebrates the Easter Vigil sometime after sunset on Holy Saturday and before sunrise on Easter Sunday morning. The Easter Vigil, with its four distinct parts, is notably absent from celebrations during Holy Week by our Protestant brothers and sisters.<br />
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The Easter Vigil service can last several hours, so perhaps that is why many Catholics do not attend. I find the Easter Vigil to be one of the most beautiful liturgies of the year and a celebration that directly anticipates Divine Mercy Sunday, which follows on the Sunday immediately after Easter.<br />
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When possible, the vigil begins outside the church structure with the blessing of both a small bonfire and the brand-new Easter candle. The priest prays for our protection by the “holy and glorious wounds of Christ,” and that the “light of Christ rising in glory [may] dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds.” [1] The Easter candle is lit from the bonfire, the people light their candles from the Easter candle, and after the prayers of blessing, all process into the church following the lighted Easter candle.<br />
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During this first part of the Easter Vigil, the interior of the Church is completely dark with the only light emanating from the large Easter candle and the people’s flickering luminaries. The cantor sings the Easter Proclamation or Exsultet. The words of the Exsultet describe the symbolism of the Easter candle’s light while tracing man's journey from “ancient sinfulness,” starting with the first parents, to the end of “gloom of sin,” through Christ’s death on Good Friday and His anticipated resurrection on Easter Sunday morning.<br />
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About half-way through the Exsultet, the cantor chants,<br />
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<i>“O truly necessary sin of Adam,” </i></div>
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<i>“O happy fault.”</i></div>
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A few stanzas later we hear,<br />
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<i>“O truly blessed night,</i></div>
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<i> When things of heaven are wed to those of earth,</i></div>
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<i> And divine to human.”</i></div>
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The idea that the sin of our first parents is a happy thing or necessary may sound confusing, at best, and wrong, at worst. Why has the sin of our first parents been recast as something necessary and happy? And why is the Holy Saturday Vigil said to commemorate “when things of heaven are wed to things of earth, and divine to the human?”<br />
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I find the answers to these questions in the Divine Mercy of God which is celebrated on Divine Mercy Sunday.[2] Without the knowledge of my sins and the acknowledgment of my brokenness, I have no hope to understand what God offers me in His forgiveness of my sins. When I see my sinfulness, stripped naked of all excuses and illuminated through God the Father’s sacrifice of His only beloved Son and the Son’s complete obedience to the Father’s will, I <i>could</i> find myself in total, abject desolation.<br />
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I refuse to take the road to desolation; instead, I choose to view <b>even my sins</b> as a path, paved with God’s unfathomable Divine Mercy, which leads me back to Him. Thus the cantor proclaims “O truly necessary sin of Adam” and “O happy fault.”<br />
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God’s Mercy, as exercised in the forgiveness of my sins, and coupled with the knowledge and repentance of my sins, brings me to the intimacy with God for which I was created. All my hope in this life is made possible through Christ’s obedience, death, and resurrection—His glorified wounds—and celebrated uniquely in the Easter Vigil service on Holy Saturday.<br />
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Though the transformative grace of Christ’s death and His Easter morning resurrection, <b>all sin can now be sourced into hope</b>. Sin becomes redeemed, resurrected through grace. Our "happy faults" expose our utter dependence on God. And what is God's response? Divine Mercy—God's New Covenant—sealed in the glorified wounds of Christ<br />
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How fitting that even in the glorified body of Christ the wounds of His crucifixion are still present. How appropriate that Divine Mercy Sunday follows the first Sunday after Easter!<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>“Mercy, like every grace, always enters through a wound.”</b> </span>[3]</span></div>
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My cross will always be a crucifix. </div>
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It is this Mercy that is the topic of my first novel to be published in 2019.</div>
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[1] For more on the Catholic celebration of the Easter Vigil see: http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/easter/commentary-on-easter-proclamation-exsultet.cfm<br />
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[2] For the history and message of Divine Mercy Sunday, see http://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/history/marianconnect.php<br />
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[3] Fr. Peter John Cameron, Editorial, O.P. Magnificat, April 2018, Vol 20, No. 2., pg. 4.<br />
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Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223440192959391286.post-14391522666283284782018-01-20T19:14:00.000-08:002018-01-21T06:44:13.106-08:00The “Spreading Ashes” Thing<div style="text-align: justify;">
I’ve had a bumpy start to the New Year. The weather has been a bit “unfriendly” with more cold temperatures, snow, and ice than my part of the mid-South typically gets. Campus closures, due to inclement weather, have chopped out teaching days from the current semester with instructors and students left to compensate for the shortfall in creative ways without sacrificing content.</div>
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Another bump of sorts was my plunge into a snow-filled ditch as my car slid ninety degrees perpendicular to my intended direction of travel on an icy, snowy curve. The laws of physics and vector mathematics overtook my driving skills on one of the many hilly, twisty back-country roads that lead from my home into town. Tennessee men, passing by in big trucks, unable to control their urges to rescue women and extricate cars lodged in snowy ditches, came to my rescue. </div>
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I have a heaviness in my heart that is due to more than reworked lesson plans, a now-melting snowpack, or snow-imposed cabin fever. I recently learned of two deaths in the last couple of weeks: my first cousin and a dear college friend. Both lives ended so wrong, and that wrongness represents so much of the tangled thinking that chokes and characterizes our world today. I lament the confusion that my children and my grandchildren must overcome to blaze a path to truth in this life.</div>
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I received a late Christmas card informing me that my cousin Jim* had taken his own life last summer. According to the note from his sister, Ann*, his suicide note offered no indication as to why Jim ended his own life. Like so many, who take their own life, there were no red flags to suggest that Jim* was contemplating suicide. He had a good relationship with his children, who lived nearby, and he did not live alone. </div>
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Jim and Ann were a big part of my life growing up as my mother babysat them weekdays while their mother worked full-time. We all graduated from the same high school, and Jim and I were in the same graduating class. We spent all holidays together, and their family joined ours most Sundays for dinner after evening Mass. </div>
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Many people are blessed to have temperaments and life experiences that make suicide incomprehensible to them. I can understand a bit about how someone can become so depressed and disoriented such that death seems like a welcomed release. Jim had heavy burdens growing up that were evident even to me as a self-centered teenager. Those loads did not lighten with time. He left whatever remnants of his Catholic faith behind along with his hometown and, according to Ann, he did not have any sense of spirituality to guide him. </div>
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There was no funeral, and his ashes will be spread in the spring by his adult children at his favorite fishing spot.</div>
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A few days after learning of Jim's suicide, I received news that one of my dear college friends, Jane*, had succumbed to ovarian cancer after a protracted, painful battle. I expected that the disease would end her earthly life, but I prayed that before her death she would return to her Christian (Catholic, in particular) faith. </div>
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Jane’s inner glow radiated outward from the moment that I first met her during my freshman year of college. I had never met anyone like Jane. She would frequently and unabashedly tell me, "I love you," instead of saying, "Goodbye." I was both awed by and envious of her ability to communicate love so effortlessly. The last time I saw her was a year and a half ago on a trip out West when she was back in treatment for recurrent ovarian cancer. She still glowed. </div>
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Over time this woman, who after college spent time discerning whether she had a vocation to the religious life, was swept away into the world of political correctness and abandoned her Catholic faith. She traded in Christianity for a <a href="https://www.pantheism.net/paul/death/" target="_blank">pantheistic-like belief system</a> that had no place for Jesus Christ. She still exuded love and volunteered her time in humanitarian service, but the boundary between Creator and His creation had blurred into a theological jumble. </div>
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Upon her death, an email informed me that there was be no funeral. Her family plans to spread her ashes around her childhood home and in a favorite vacation spot. There will be a party, at Jane’s request, with ice cream, music, and sharing memories to celebrate her life and provide “closure.” </div>
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The now familiar practice of spreading ashes leaves me profoundly sad—especially when I think of Jim and Jane. Cremation is not my issue so long as it is not done to deny the Christian faith or to reject the resurrection of the body. For most people in the U.S., the decision for cremation seems to be a monetary one. The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/26/world/europe/vatican-bans-scattering-of-human-ashes.html" target="_blank">Catholic Church permits cremation</a> but requires that the faithful inter the remains in cemeteries or other approved sacred places. (2)</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cvxxfht3B1I/WmP8iORiM7I/AAAAAAAAAQ0/7KigZsehhOk7DRhcmFqy2y3wnZQ3grAyQCLcBGAs/s1600/shutterstock_188702468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cvxxfht3B1I/WmP8iORiM7I/AAAAAAAAAQ0/7KigZsehhOk7DRhcmFqy2y3wnZQ3grAyQCLcBGAs/s400/shutterstock_188702468.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Editorial credit: Andreas Zerndl / Shutterstock.com</td></tr>
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My issue is spreading human ashes. It denies the sacredness of the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit. Christ's Incarnation shines a light on the human body. When we spread the ashes of our loved ones, we attempt to squelch that radiance, no matter how reverently we believe we are acting. The underlying philosophy behind scattering ashes is non-Christian and by the very action asserts that human beings are merely one of many interchangeable cogs in nature with no particular divinely-accorded status. </div>
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The immortality of the human soul sets human beings apart from all the rest of God's creatures. God invited only members of the human race to become His adopted children. Through the Incarnation, Christ's human nature became part of the Trinity. Our adoption as children of God through Baptism elevates our human body to a temple of the Holy Spirit. </div>
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While it is true that the soul leaves the body after death, the body was the “house” of the immortal soul. Spreading ashes does not show the proper respect to the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit. </div>
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Our secular culture (and even many Christian faith traditions) have lost a correct understanding of the <a href="http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/marriage-and-family/natural-family-planning/catholic-teaching/theology-of-the-body.cfm" target="_blank">Theology of the Body</a>. Should it be a surprise that we have lost the proper understanding of the <a href="https://ccgaction.org/spiritual_life/theologyofdeath" target="_blank">Theology of Death</a>, too? Of course not, the two are related. Celebrations of life make it easy to unharness the human creature from his Creator. The Catholic funeral Mass and burial rite properly exhibit and reverence the tie between the deceased and His Creator. We are His—and <i>that</i> is the celebration of our lives.</div>
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*I have changed the names out of respect for the families.<br />
<br />Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223440192959391286.post-2162669583452234452017-09-24T17:38:00.004-07:002017-09-24T17:38:48.317-07:00Daily Gospel Reflection for September 24, 2017 - 25th Sunday<header class="post-header cf" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #606569; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 21px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="comments" href="http://catholicmom.com/2017/09/24/daily-gospel-reflection-september-24-2017-25th-sunday-ordinary-time/#respond" style="border: 0px; color: #a6a6a6; float: right; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 0px -35px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;"> 0</a></header><div class="post-meta" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(217, 217, 217); border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(217, 217, 217); border-top-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px; color: #a6a6a6; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px 0px 21px; overflow: hidden; padding: 10px 0px; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="posted-by" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">BY <span class="reviewer" itemprop="author" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://catholicmom.com/author/gospel/" rel="author" style="border: 0px; color: #19232d; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Posts by Gospel Reflections Team">GOSPEL REFLECTIONS TEAM</a></span> </span><span class="posted-on" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ON <span class="dtreviewed" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><time class="value-title" datetime="2017-09-24T04:30:43-04:00" itemprop="datePublished" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="2017-09-24">SEPTEMBER 24, 2017</time></span></span><span class="cats" style="border: 0px; float: right; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://catholicmom.com/category/columnists/" rel="category tag" style="border: 0px; color: #19232d; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;">ARTICLES FROM OUR CONTRIBUTORS</a>, <a href="http://catholicmom.com/category/daily/" rel="category tag" style="border: 0px; color: #19232d; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;">DAILY GOSPEL REFLECTIONS</a></span></div>
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<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Today’s Gospel Reflection from Catholic Mom: <a href="http://usccb.org/bible/readings/092417.cfm" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; color: #7291cb; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Matthew 20:1-16A</a> September 24, 2017 - 25th Sunday by Meggie K. Daly</strong></em></div>
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In this parable, the vineyard owner offends our modern world’s sense of fairness. Imagine that after a full-day's work in the field, we are the ones who are tired, hot, and sweaty. Why should the workers who have barely worked receive as much pay for their efforts as those of us who have labored all day? What a battle to combat the envy that threatens to stir in our veins!</div>
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This envy flows from our implicit expectation that God should operate by the same rules that govern our earthly sense of fairness. But Divine Mercy and Justice do not operate according to man-made rules and laws. Divine Justice cannot be separated from Divine Mercy. Such a separation is only a construct of our limited human minds. And for that, I am forever thankful.</div>
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It is the Pharisee in us that measures out what we receive compared to our neighbor gets. The cure for such unhelpful personal comparisons is gratitude. Consider God’s willingness to welcome us home no matter what we have done, when we bring Him honest hearts that admit our failures. Even moments before death, Our Lord is willing to give us the full payment of eternal joy for our life of sinful failures!</div>
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“Oh, how beyond comprehension is God’s mercy! Although a person is at the point of death, the merciful God gives the soul that interior vivid moment, so that if the soul is willing, it has the possibility of returning to God.” Diary of St. Faustina (1698)</div>
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Oh, how grateful I am that God does not “pay” me according to what I deserve!</div>
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Ponder:</h3>
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Consider a time that you have felt offended or envious because someone received more recognition than you. Can you identify why you felt that way?</div>
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Pray:</h3>
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Heavenly Father, help me to live each day in gratitude for Your many mercies and graces that You shower on me due to Your goodness and not my worthiness. Help me to combat any envy that should arise in me.</div>
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<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Copyright 2017 Meggie K. Daly</em></div>
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Meggie K. Daly blogs at meggieKdaly.blogspot.com. She is the mother of six adult children and three grandchildren. She is the author of Bead by Bead: The Scriptural Rosary which was published in May 2017. She is writing her first novel ever so slowly between her ministry work and teaching part-time at a "local: university She is a retired research scientist.</div>
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Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223440192959391286.post-28061690681503442192017-08-15T11:17:00.002-07:002017-08-16T12:27:11.064-07:00The Inescapable Beauty of Mary's Assumption<div class="MsoNormal">
Today Catholics all over the world celebrate and remember the day when the Blessed Virgin Mary’s body and soul were “assumed” into heaven—The Assumption. Being conceived without the stain of original sin, Mary escaped the decay of death and now enjoys that perfect unity with God for which we have all been created. The Church calls what we would think of as her death as “dormition” or “falling asleep” at the completion of her earthly life. The Assumption and the Immaculate Conception of Mary are inextricably bound together. By applying the salvific graces of Christ’s redemption at the moment of her conception, Mary escaped our destiny of death and decay. For those who may struggle with the dogma of Mary’s Immaculate Conception and her Assumption, remember that God is not bound by space and time as we are—God is God and we are not! </div>
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As my pastor said during his homily at this morning’s Mass, the Blessed Mother, as the Immaculate Conception, gives us plenty of food for thought about the role of suffering in Mary’s life. For example, did Mary experience the pain of childbirth, did she get sick, and so on? We know directly from Scripture of the terrible emotional pain that Mary suffered when losing the child Jesus in the temple and then later witnessing the passion and death of Jesus. No doubt there were many occasions of confusion and grief for the Blessed Mother. Anyone that has reared a child knows that suffering and pain is part of the motherhood equation. Given that Mary’s sinless life was still burdened with suffering this should lead us to ask if there is another way to view suffering—a way that does not come naturally for us—a redemptive way of viewing suffering. The Theology of Redemptive Suffering is that great gift of Catholic theology to us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Today’s feast takes me back to a memory from my past.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OWPw3IQMLp0/WZMzv6nafII/AAAAAAAAAOI/MOd03yjkB5Q9IXA_DrJHie2QI_zIJTekQCLcBGAs/s1600/page%2B58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="641" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OWPw3IQMLp0/WZMzv6nafII/AAAAAAAAAOI/MOd03yjkB5Q9IXA_DrJHie2QI_zIJTekQCLcBGAs/s400/page%2B58.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Assumption of Mary by Peter Paul Rubens</span></span></i></td></tr>
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The image shown to the left is from page 83 of my book, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bead-Scriptural-Rosary-Color-Version/dp/0692845259/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1502820482&sr=8-1&keywords=bead+by+bead+the+scriptural+rosary+the+color+version" target="_blank">Bead by Bead: The Scriptural Rosary</a></i>. Peter Paul Rubens completed this massive painting in 1626 as the main altarpiece for the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp, Belgium. It remains there to this day. The painting took Rubens 15 years from concept to completion. </div>
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During my forties, I spent many weeks at a hotel in Antwerp located on <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Antwerp_July_2015-1a.jpg" target="_blank">Gorenplats (Green Square)</a> across the from the Cathedral of Our Lady. Although <a href="http://www.dekathedraal.be/en/eucharistie.htm)" target="_blank">Mass is still celebrated in the Cathedral</a>, I do not know if the Cathedral remains open as it was years ago affording the opportunity for people to enter at their leisure. (The world was not quite as crazy as it is today.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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The first time I entered the Cathedral, I was still hung over from jet lag. It was a Sunday afternoon and I timed my visit well after any Mass would have been celebrated. I was not a practicing Catholic or even an avowed Christian at the time. I knew nothing about the art inside, but I was intrigued by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_of_Our_Lady_(Antwerp)" target="_blank">outer architecture of the cathedral</a>. </div>
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As I stepped inside the cathedral, the only available light streamed through the stained glass windows. Being alone, I walked up to the altar to “take in” the majesty of the 15.8 ft by 10.7 ft Ruben's painting more clearly. Even in the non-optimal late-afternoon light, the beauty of this commanding painting conveyed a labor of love that was both infectious and breathtaking. How I would love to go back to that <a href="http://www.dekathedraal.be/en/plattegrond.htm" target="_blank">cathedral</a> now for the celebration of Mass! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Ruben uses poetic license in his interpretation of the Assumption as a choir of angels escorts Mary from a would-be-tomb surrounded by the apostles—many of whom are shocked by Mary ascending into heaven.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Awe and appreciation of such exquisite religious art, such as Ruben’s <i>The Assumption of Mary</i>, fails to escape the agnostic, atheist, or non-Christian believer in God. In beauty, we find God—whether we are looking for Him or not. All that is beautiful pulls us towards the One that is Perfect Beauty. Our intrinsic love and attraction to beauty are great gifts from our passionate and persistent God who uses all of His creation and our artistic creations to draw us to Himself.<o:p></o:p></div>
Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223440192959391286.post-27191947425993633412017-06-15T12:49:00.000-07:002017-06-16T14:43:35.289-07:00Lessons Learned From The Other HalfMy husband and I have some shared personality traits, but in most things, he is less outspoken and impulsive, and much more patient than I am. He recently "flexed" those personality muscles to effect a significant change in the life of our community.<br />
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Seven plus years ago, we moved to a small rural town in the Southern U.S. As an "import" to the South and as a newbie to small town culture, I found life in our new community less than appealing after the initial "honeymoon" period of getting settled in. I fully expected to say good-bye to my professional work life; my techy job skills were not obviously transferable to the agrarian-based economy of the area. Moreover, our county had one of the highest unemployment rates in the state. It was the unspoken social mores that took me by surprise; those I had to discover by missteps over time.<br />
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Shortly after we arrived, another married couple relocated to our town. The woman, who was a lawyer and became my friend, was as flabbergasted as I had been to find out that women were not allowed to join the local Rotary Club. It is not that our local club had rewritten their bylaws to exclude women, but the influential men of the community, a generation older, were dead set against it. Fears of allowing women to join took form as comments like: "If women are allowed into the club, they will take over!" or "If women are members, they will do all the work, and the men won't do anything."<br />
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Many of the women in the community had no issue with the fact that women could not join the local Rotary Club; they reflected their husband's point of view or accepted it as a fact of life. The local Rotary Club was (and continues to be) a tremendous asset to the community in more ways than I can recount. Perhaps the good work that the club performed perpetuated the resistance to allow women to become members of the club.<br />
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To set the record straight...I have no issue with male-only organizations or female-only organizations, but I do take issue with a lack of integrity. I wanted the Rotary Club to own their male-only de-facto policy. Eventually, my lawyer-friend and I raised our concerns about the local club's exclusion of women to the highest level of National Rotary leadership. A small party of local Rotarian leaders made their way to the national headquarters and, predictably, denied that women could not join the local Rotary Club. So that was that. Nothing had changed.<br />
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Now, here comes the twist. My husband joined this very same Rotary Club shortly after we moved here. It bothered me terribly that my husband belonged to a club, that not only allowed such discrimination but denied that it was occurring. My husband did not stand in my way of reporting the local club for their exclusion of women. Although he never once complained, my husband's life would have been easier had I not initiated the effort to allow women into the Rotary Club. While he detested the pretense, my husband enjoyed many aspects of being in the club and was not about to relinquish his membership! He instinctively knew that any man, who nominated a woman for membership, jeopardized his status in the club with the "old guard."<br />
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Eventually, I gave up trying to get my husband to leave the club and relegated my discontent to interjecting a few conversational barbs, here and there, when my friends and family came to visit. My lawyer friend relocated to an area where she found a more favorable culture to practice her legal profession as a woman. This experience of "no women allowed" in the local Rotary Club encapsulated much sadness, disappointment, and loneliness that dogged me for my first five years living in this community.<br />
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Time passed...I planted lots of flowers and rose bushes. I started doing things that I enjoyed (like writing and teaching) despite making a minuscule fraction of my previous income. In short, I adjusted. I am happy to report that I have grown to love my life here.<br />
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My husband understood this little town better than I did. He should have, he grew up here although he had been gone for 25 years. He was taken aback by some of what he observed, too. We both felt as if we had stepped back in time by 20 or 30 years. He opined that once some of the "old guard" became less active in the Rotary <span style="font-family: inherit;">Club, and t</span>he younger men were in leadership positions, then women would be allowed in. It was just a matter of ti<span style="font-family: inherit;">me and</span>, yes, patient waiting...his<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> strength, my weakness.<br />
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Several weeks ago, unbeknownst to me, my husband privately nominated two women to join the local Rotary Club. He felt that the current Rotary leadership was more receptive towards female membership. The leadership team's primary concern was how some of the "old guard" might feel towards my husband when they inevitably found out that he had nominated the two women. After a week of deliberation, the leadership team made their momentous decision.<br />
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My husband waited until the two women were initiated into the club to share the news. We were out of town on the big day when the local Rotary Club installed (pinned) their first female members.<br />
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This experience got me thinking about voicing injustice when it is clear that change is needed. When we know that things are not right, we have to make a choice. Do we rock the boat or do we wait for the currents to take us to the desired destination? I am not sure that it is an either/or decision. Perhaps it is a both/and with the manner of how we raise our concerns being paramount.<br />
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The primary role of each spouse in a marriage is to lead the other spouse to sanctification, destination heaven. Each spouse is the emery board that helps file the rough edges of the other spouse, along with Grace and the Holy Spirit, to more closely conform to the image of Christ thereby reflecting the glory of God. Whether our spouse allows us a model-worthy window into their actualized virtue or an opportunity to deepen our virtue due to challenging circumstances of the marital relationship itself, they are a gift to us!<br />
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Suffice it to say, that I am very proud of my husband for his wisdom and patience. I want to grow in his virtues. He loves it when I tell him, "You were right!" So I say here, "Mr. Daly, you were right!"<br />
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<br />Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223440192959391286.post-70284850071843610592017-05-26T17:27:00.000-07:002017-05-26T17:34:32.995-07:00Daily Gospel Reflection - Catholic Mom<h1 class="post-title item fn" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #3d5682; font-family: "Open Sans", Georgia, serif; font-size: 28px; margin: 0px 35px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 18px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<span style="color: #3d5682; font-family: "open sans" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 28px; font-weight: normal;"><u><a href="http://usccb.org/bible/readings/052617.cfm" target="_blank">May 26, 2017</a></u> - Feastday of St. Philip Neri </span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "open sans" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 28px; font-weight: normal;">by Meggie K. Daly</span></div>
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Immediately preceding today’s Gospel passage, Jesus and calls His apostles to trust that better times are coming. Jesus knows that His impending passion and death will break their hearts, shatter their dreams, and will surely leave them confused about how they have spent the last 3 years of their lives.</div>
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The apostles do not yet understand that Jesus is birthing the kingdom of God on earth and writing our divine adoption papers with His blood. Only after His resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit will the apostles’ nightmare of the next hours, days, and weeks assemble into the glorious, big picture.</div>
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Jesus uses the analogy of childbirth to create a glimpse into the apostles’ future. Four of my children were born completely naturally. I still remember the exhaustion and the pain, despite all the proper breathing and relaxation techniques. I also recall the overpowering joy as I first locked eyes with my newborn baby and gush of maternal hormones that held captive my entire being. Somehow the miracle of life overshadowed the anguish and travail of the birthing process.</div>
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It is easy to lose our trust in really bad times. We may face the untimely death of a loved one, a devastating mental or physical illness, the loss of home or job, broken relationships, or just come up empty as we search for meaning in mundane circumstances and monotonous routines. It takes trust to get down on our knees to thank the Lord for the crosses of the day and to muster a childlike trust that tomorrow truly is a brand new day. But that is really what Jesus wants us to do. His Holy Spirit is praying for us when we do not know how and turns our anguish to joy.</div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/share?text=It+takes+trust+to+kneel+and+thank+the+Lord+for+the+crosses+of+the+day.+By+Meggie+Daly&via=lisahendey&related=lisahendey&url=http://catholicmom.com/2017/05/26/daily-gospel-reflection-may-25-2017-2/" style="border: 0px; color: #999999; font-family: inherit; font-size: 24px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 33.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">It takes trust to kneel and thank the Lord for the crosses of the day. By Meggie Daly</a></div>
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Ponder:</h3>
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What is the area in your life that you find hardest to place in the Lord’s hands and just let go?</div>
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Pray:</h3>
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Holy Spirit, strengthen me to face each day with joy no matter how the day unfolds; Jesus, help me focus on Your Passion when I am overwhelmed; and Father, help me to trust that You have only the best in store for me.</div>
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<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Copyright 2017 Meggie K. Daly</em></div>
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<span class="posted-by" style="border: 0px; color: #a6a6a6; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: baseline;">BY <span class="reviewer" itemprop="author" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">GOSPEL REFLECTIONS TEAM</span> </span><span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-size: 11px; text-transform: uppercase;"></span><span class="posted-on" style="border: 0px; color: #a6a6a6; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: baseline;">ON <span class="dtreviewed" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><time class="value-title" datetime="2017-05-26T01:30:28-07:00" itemprop="datePublished" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="2017-05-26">MAY 26, 2017 (SIGN UP FOR THESE DAILY EMAILS <a href="http://catholicmom.com/newsletter-signup/" target="_blank">HERE</a>.)</time></span></span></div>
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Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223440192959391286.post-45720475841667695492017-04-20T18:13:00.000-07:002017-08-23T08:59:11.455-07:00Celebrating the Centennial Appearance of Our Lady of Fatima <div style="text-align: center;">
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A year ago at this time, I had no idea that I would be releasing my first book this May in conjunction with the 100 year anniversary of the appearance of Our Blessed Mother, Mary, to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. Moreover, I had no idea that I would be writing a nonfiction book on the Rosary! I thought that I would be finishing up my much-neglected novel. But my plans mean nothing—my hands do not belong to me—I am consecrated to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This means that I am simply an instrument in her hands to do with me as she will.</div>
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I am very grateful to ALL the super busy people that took the time to read my book and to the four that have written the endorsements below:<br />
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<i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "alef" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;">“</span></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; user-select: text;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bead by Bead is an excellent resource for helping us all better appreciate and pray the mysteries of the Rosary." </span></span></i></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; user-select: text;"><span style="color: #990000;">-Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC </span></span><br />
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; user-select: text;"><span style="color: #990000;">Author of 33 Days to Morning Glory</span></span><br />
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; user-select: text;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“In this centenary anniversary of the appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mother at Fatima, Meggie K. Daly has given to the Church and the world a beautiful gift in the form of her book, Bead by Bead: The Scriptural Rosary. Increasingly, numerous Catholics have discovered the Holy Scriptures as an encounter with Christ—Meggie has delivered a book which unites the twin gifts of the Word of God and the Holy Rosary—a beautiful and powerful combination leading to holiness. In our turn, we can respond to Our Lady of the Rosary by praying the Scriptural Rosary, fulfilling our Lady’s request at Fatima by bringing to life the teaching of St. John Paul II, “The Rosary is a Gospel prayer.” </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; user-select: text;"><span style="color: #990000;">- John Galten</span></span><br />
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; user-select: text;"><span style="color: #990000;"> National President of Militia Immaculata, USA</span></span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; user-select: text;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Meggie K. Daly’s Bead by Bead: the Scriptural Rosary is more than just a devotional aide; it provides a brief history of the Rosary in addition to her testimony from rosary skeptic to devotee . She shares the fruit of her experience with the Rosary after discovering the richness of the saints and their devotion to Mary. Meggie K. Daly leads the reader into an experience of the Rosary as a prayer experience rooted in the Scriptures. The pages of the Gospel will certainly come alive for anyone who reads and uses this book." </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; user-select: text;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- Fr. Edward Looney </span></span><br />
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; user-select: text;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Author of the best-selling rosary devotional A Rosary Litany</span></span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; user-select: text;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Meggie K. Daly's Bead by Bead: The Scriptural Rosary is a terrific resource for anyone who wants to take their daily recitation of the Rosary to a whole different—and higher—level. Using this book, the reader has at his/her disposal a line of scripture for each bead that will help the reader to reflect more deeply on the mysteries and prayers of the Holy Rosary. Includes background, history, resources and an appendix, as well as the author's journey towards a Scriptural Rosary. Highly recommend!" </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;">- Ellen Gable Hrkach </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;">Author, editor, publisher, past president of the Catholic Writers Guild</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lQTgQzaqYdQ/WPlfQI7WR8I/AAAAAAAAALU/l0vKwA7VzT4aG07FRhHXF064DS2vC99HACEw/s1600/small%2Bimage.james.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lQTgQzaqYdQ/WPlfQI7WR8I/AAAAAAAAALU/l0vKwA7VzT4aG07FRhHXF064DS2vC99HACEw/s1600/small%2Bimage.james.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Bead by Bead: The Scriptural Rosary</i><br />
is published by Misericordia Publishing</td></tr>
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Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223440192959391286.post-1360110322352084092016-09-05T19:03:00.004-07:002018-03-11T15:35:48.026-07:00Best Healthy Gluten-Free Bread Recipe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1y1EU3nSWRE/V84cOGZ3D2I/AAAAAAAAAGk/1hCe14nYcgMdDJHLb9tnXhaGpNAfTeyRgCLcB/s1600/out%2Bof%2Boven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1y1EU3nSWRE/V84cOGZ3D2I/AAAAAAAAAGk/1hCe14nYcgMdDJHLb9tnXhaGpNAfTeyRgCLcB/s320/out%2Bof%2Boven.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have been asked for this recipe so many times that I decided to publish it on my blog. It is a bit off my usual topics, but blogs don't really have hard and fast rules, right?</div>
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<b>A Word of Caution</b></div>
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Baking gluten-free in not like baking with wheat flour. I am a life-long baker and, in many ways, I had to throw out everything I thought that I knew about making homemade breads, cakes, cookies, pies, biscuits, muffins, and pastries and go back to first-grade.<br />
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If you have a serious health reason for eliminating gluten, going GF is worth the investment of time, energy, and money. And in that case, finding a great bread recipe is critical, at least it was for me! </div>
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<b>Why Is Baking Gluten-Free Challenging? </b><br />
In a nutshell...because GF dough seems harder to work with, initially, and it is more expensive to get your kitchen set up properly. But to be specific...<br />
<ol>
<li>Gluten is to bakery products what a metal support system is to a skyscraper. When you toss the gluten out of your dough, it has a v.e.r.y different character. That lovely shiny stretch is replaced by a gooey substance that is nothing like traditional dough.</li>
<li>A professional stand mixer is a requirement which is much more expensive than a hand mixer.</li>
<li>A digital food scale is a must for weighing out the various flour ingredients. I use this <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Primo-Digital-Kitchen-Scale-Chrome/dp/B0007GAWRS/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1473035085&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=escale+food+scale">one</a> but there are many good ones.</li>
<li>A Pullman bread pan will help you be successful. The higher sides and narrower base to give the bread support as it rises and cooks.</li>
<li>A bevy of flours will be required to achieve the taste and texture of a truly delightful baked product. That, also, means more kitchen space and a greater dollar investment in flours.</li>
<li>Many of the all-purpose GF flours at the grocery store are horrible tasting.</li>
<li>Not everyone enjoys the slow process of trial and error. I like experimentation and am disciplined enough to change one ingredient at a time and document what I did. </li>
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I spent almost 2 years perfecting my healthy GF bread recipe. I found other bread recipes that were quite yummy but they did not meet the level of healthy that I was seeking. I was, also, looking for something quick and easy once I got my kitchen stocked and set up.<br />
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If you want to bake GF breads, I strongly suggest that you buy Nicole Hunn’s, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738216852/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_3?pf_rd_p=1944687562&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0738217816&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=EMGDFPQFD254FRW9CYDX">Gluten-Free on a Shoestring Bakes Bread: (Biscuits, Bagels, Buns, and More</a> cookbook. Hunn's 'Bakes Bread' cookbook really is the starting bible for breads, in my opinion. If you follow her recipes EXACTLY you will gain much confidence in your ability to bake amazing GF breads. BTW, her <a href="http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/">blog</a> is awesome.<br />
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Once you graduate to the level of creating your own recipes, you may want these two cookbooks: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Can-Gluten-Free-Cookbook/dp/1936493616">The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1936493985/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687722&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1936493616&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=ZHWS6HMPV915DPTMSWE8">The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook Volume 2 Cookbook</a>. It will help you unleash your kitchen chemist because you gain insight into the interactions between the ingredients in GF breads. The recipes are great, too.</div>
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If you want to bake French desserts and heavenly cakes—go directly to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gluten-Free-Baking-Classics-Annalise-Roberts/dp/1572840994/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473034476&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=analise+roberts+gluten+free">Gluten-Free Baking Classics</a> by Annalise Roberts without passing go. Seriously! Figuring out where to find superfine GF pastry flours is very important. </div>
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<b>Flours for GF Healthy Bread</b></div>
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<ul>
<li>Basic bread flour - This is a blend of all-purpose GF flour (such as Better Batter), unflavored whey protein powder, and Expandex modified tapioca flour. To get the exact proportions—buy Nicole’s book. </li>
<ul>
<li>There are other basic bread flours but the genius of Nicole’s basic bread flour is the addition of protein powder! I use Now Sport’s Protein isolate—Thank you, Nicole.</li>
<li>Better Batter contains white and brown rice flours, tapioca starch, potato starch, xanthan gum, and pectin. </li>
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<li>Oat flour - I use old-fashioned whole grain GF oats and grind it in my Vitamix blender. (You can purchase already ground oat flour.)</li>
<li>Ancient Grains (30% each amaranth, millet, and sorghum flours and 10% quinoa flour).</li>
<ul>
<li>I really wanted to use some teff flour, too, because is so healthy. But the flavor is just too overpowering for me.</li>
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First, make a starter that rises for 40-50 minutes in a warm breeze-free area*. Mix it up really well by hand with a spatula. Then cover the top with plastic wrap secured in place with a rubber band. The mixture will more than double.<br />
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<b>Starter Ingredients</b></div>
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<li>½ cup Basic bread flour</li>
<li>½ cup oat flour</li>
<li>½ cup Ancient Grain flour (King Arthur brand)</li>
<li>2 tsp dry instant yeast</li>
<li>1.5-2 tbsp white sugar</li>
<li>1 cup warm water (110 °F)</li>
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While the starter is rising, add the following ingredients to the stand mixer bowl, and mix well to distribute the ingredients evenly:</div>
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<li>¼ cup golden flax seeds (do not grind)</li>
<li>1 tbsp chia seeds</li>
<li>½ cup unsalted sunflower seeds</li>
<li>½ cup old-fashioned whole grain GF oats</li>
<li>2 tbsp psyllium husk powder</li>
<li>2 tsp salt</li>
<li>2 tsp xanthan gum</li>
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Right before you are ready to add the starter, add these ingredients to the stand-mixer bowl:</div>
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<li>1 cup plain (unsweetened) whole milk yogurt (do not use non-fat)</li>
<li>1 tbsp coconut oil plus 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce or 3 tbsp olive oil or 3 tbsp coconut oil</li>
<li>1 tbsp molasses (you can use honey but I like molasses better)</li>
<li>½ cup warm water not hot (<110 °F) </li>
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Now add the starter to the stand mixer bowl. Pre-mix by hand with a strong spatula just to get everything moist before you turn the mixer loose. Use the batter attachment NOT the dough hook. (The more air in the dough the better the batter is.) Run the mixer on 5 or 6 (medium) for 5-6 mins. Stop once or twice to mix well with the spatula and to redistribute the dough, which will be super sticky.<br />
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Have a Pullman bread pan ready (I use butter-flavor canola spray to grease). Let the bread rise for an hour in a warm breeze free area. Cover the top with plastic wrap. Use the spatula to "coax" the mixture into the bread pan. Wet your fingers to smooth the bread down. Sprinkle some oats or seeds on top if you desire. Let it rise* for an hour or until it is just slightly over the top of the pan.</div>
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NOTE: I used to use <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtSkDWAKHso" target="_blank">Nicole’s method of scrapper kneading</a> but I found that I really do not need to use that for this recipe. But if you want a perfectly rounded top on your bread, do knead it using scrapper kneading. You will need to give it more time to rise if you knead it. (If I was making cinnamon rolls—for which I use a different dough—it would be a must!)<br />
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In her book, Nicole talks about letting the dough rise in the refrigerator for several days to increase the yeast flavor prior to kneading, shaping, and the final rise. That does indeed work to develop more of a yeast flavor but the bread will not quite rise as high which was more important to me. You may want to try it both ways. It will take several hours for the final rise if you go the refrigerator route.</div>
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Put into the cold oven so that the pan is in the center of the oven. Turn the heat to 350 °F. Set timer for 40 min. At 40 min take bread out of pan and place on cookie sheet for another 10-15 min. Have foil ready to cover the top of bread when it is the shade of golden brown you like. I like my crust crunchy but not too brown. Because ovens vary you will need to figure out what works best for you. </div>
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Let the bread cool for several hours before you cut it into 18-20 slices. The bread freezes well but I find that if I just store my slices is a zipper freezer bag and keep in the refrigerator it does fine. But I also consume the whole load in 5-6 days by myself. I love this bread.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sliced up in a quart freezer bag. Note the full-size slices.</td></tr>
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I really can’t thank Nicole Hunn enough for the education is getting started and all the tricks that she has taught me in her cookbooks for GF cooking. Definitely check out her blog: glutenfreeonashoestring.com.</div>
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*To create a perfect environment, I first heat a mug of water in my microwave to ~90 seconds on high. Then I push the mug of hot water to the back of the microwave and place the non-metal covered bowl, containing the starter, in the microwave so that it does not touch the mug. Then I close the microwave door. This provides a warm, moist environment for my starter. I use this technique for the dough, once shaped and in the pan for the final rise, too.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another loaf with poppy seeds on top.</td></tr>
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Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223440192959391286.post-69266464332123021982016-08-18T15:33:00.001-07:002016-08-19T07:48:59.006-07:00Daily Gospel Reflection for July 29, 2016 - St. MarthaFrom <a href="http://catholicmom.com/">CatholicMom.com</a> this summer...<br />
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<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Today’s Gospel: <a href="http://usccb.org/bible/readings/072916.cfm" style="border: 0px; color: #7291cb; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Luke 10, 38-42</a> – St. Martha</strong></em></div>
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“There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”</div>
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In today’s gospel reading, Martha is overwhelmed with the busyness of her serving tasks and asks Jesus to prompt Mary to help her. Martha has chosen the self-sacrificing task of serving those who are guests in her home. This is a very giving thing of Martha to do. So why does it feel as if Jesus is taking Mary’s side, who sits enraptured at His feet, oblivious to the demanding tasks causing Mary such anxiety? Surely Martha could use some help!</div>
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I have pondered this passage for years, especially as a woman, since so much of my life is attending to the needs of others. I believe that Jesus is saying that no matter how busy I am or how hectic my life is, I am still called to make time to spend with Him one-on-one. Spending time at the feet of Jesus, in our time, means one-on-one with him in prayer, worship, and adoration.</div>
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As mothers and grandmothers, we are often consumed with the tasks of caring for the needs of others. And that is a beautiful calling. But Christ’s words to Martha make it clear that time with Him is the best thing we can do for ourselves. We need that time to refresh our spirits and rectify our attitudes such that we can to give of ourselves with joyful self-sacrifice. No matter how busy we are, no matter how demanding our daily schedule, Jesus says that the best thing in our lives is building our relationship with Him. From this quality time with Jesus, every other good thing springs forth.</div>
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Ponder:</h3>
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When I help others do I do it joyfully or do I feel sorry for myself? Am I making time with Jesus so that my “love” battery is fully charged?</div>
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Pray:</h3>
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My dear Lord and Savior, give me ears to hear you inviting me to spend one-on-one time with you in prayer, worship, and adoration, no matter how crazy my life gets. Give me a heart of joy that allows me to give to others from the wellspring of my time spent with you.</div>
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<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Copyright 2016 Meggie K. Daly</em></div>
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Maggie K. Daly blogs at <a href="http://themagdaleneletters.blogspot.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #7291cb; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">themagdaleneletters.blogspot.com</a>. She is the mother of six adult children and three grandchildren. She is writing her first novel ever so slowly between her ministry work and part-time University Math teaching. She is a retired research scientist.</div>
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Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223440192959391286.post-8869690772247629882015-10-31T08:50:00.000-07:002015-10-31T12:30:37.473-07:00A Most Beautiful Wedding<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last evening I attended one of the most beautiful weddings
that I have ever witnessed. The couple
was young. The groom may have been all
of 21 years old and the bride was, perhaps, 20 years old.
By modern standards, they were far too young to know what they want out
of life and hardly able to enter into a marriage at that tender age. I do not share that view.</div>
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So what made this wedding so lovely? It was very clear from the words of the
priest, who presided over the ceremony, that this was a marriage COVENANT not a
marriage contract. The parties were entering into a covenant, with God and one
another, that was life-long and eternally binding. Many non-Catholics attended the wedding which
was book-ended by a nuptial Mass.
Although the non-Catholics in attendance did not understand the significance of the Mass, one Protestant woman told me she was struck by the beauty of the
ceremony. </div>
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The couple had met two years ago, today, inside the very
Church in which they exchanged their vows last night. They had not lived together prior to the
wedding, and, perhaps, the couple had even been chaste prior to their exchange
of vows. What a great gift they would be
giving each other if indeed they had waited to become one flesh until their
wedding night! My husband likes to say, “Satan
does everything he can to get a couple to have sex before they marry, and
everything that he can to keep them from having sex after they marry!” As a woman in my sixties I am awestruck with
the truth of that statement. </div>
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This wedding did not cost the bride’s parents a fortune,
perhaps less than a thousand dollars total.
The flowers were artificial. The
wedding gown was simple, as was the bride's veil.
The groom wore his military uniform.
The mothers of the bride and groom each wore simple street dresses (the
wedding was not about them, after all). </div>
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The reception was held in the Church’s old, ugly activity
center which probably should be condemned by the civil building authorities. The food was likely in keeping with the
simplicity of the other expenditures. My
husband and I did not attend the reception as only a select few were invited to
keep expenditures manageable. The
parents are of simple means. </div>
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Having been to many weddings previously, including far too
many of my own, this was the first Catholic wedding embedded in a nuptial Mass that I
have attended as a practicing Catholic with
absolute faith in God and understanding of the truth and fullness of the faith
embodied by the teaching of the Catholic Church. </div>
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As the couple stood in front of the giant crucifix that
hangs in our little parish church, I thought, "There symbolized is Christ on His
marriage bed, the cross." Our pastor made it
clear to the young couple that “The HUNT was over!” They were soon to become one flesh, thereby
embodying their spoken marriage vows, and this was a forever union. He
warned them that they would have good times and bad, really bad, but that they
were bound to their spouse in their journey to become saints and help the other
attain eternal life.</div>
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And, indeed, I have found marriage to be a cross to
bear. Yes, there are more good times
than bad. However, withstanding the bad
times—and I mean deeply bad times—without obvious complaint and pleasantly, too—is
a saint making task indeed! This sweet couple will no doubt find all too
soon that “Happily Ever After” is better relegated to fairly tales and that
true love requires more work and sacrifice than popular culture would have us
believe. </div>
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In Eastern Orthodox wedding ceremonies, the bride and groom
exchange crucifixes symbolizing the death that each must undergo to self in their marriage covenant to one another. I wonder how different our culture would be, and how different my own life would have been, if I had understood that marriage
was a purifying cross whose purpose was to make me a saint rather than my achieve
own personal happiness!</div>
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The good news is that we are never to old to learn! </div>
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Peace and grace be with you, Meggie.</div>
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Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223440192959391286.post-48854160738920794412015-08-18T16:27:00.004-07:002015-08-18T18:27:21.255-07:00Sweetening the SorrowI must confess that I have a hard time praying the rosary. It takes tremendous discipline on my part to recite that many Hail Marys, Our Fathers, and Glory Bes in a row while focusing my mind on the appropriate mystery for each decade. Why does it feel so difficult for me much of the time?<br />
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It is not nearly so difficult for me to pray the <a href="http://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/praythechaplet.php" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a> as that prayer is a very personal prayer for me. A good friend of mine was praying a Divine Mercy Chaplet Novena for my return to the Catholic Church between Good Friday and Divine Mercy Sunday several years ago. It was during the time of her novena that I responded to a mysterious but irresistible urge to go see the Catholic pastor in our area. I did not know him nor had I been inside a Catholic church for some twenty five years. <br />
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I was an on-fire Evangelical Protestant as was my husband. The Catholic Church of my youth would never be a home for me again—or so I thought. It turned out that the priest in my little ‘Podunk’ town was also a Roman Catholic Canon lawyer and thus began my return to the Catholic Church. My reversion to the Catholic Church also started an intense study into the teaching of the Church I had dismissed. My ex-Protestant pastor’s conversion to the Catholic Church took place shortly after I returned. My husband and I came into full communion with the Catholic Church on the <a href="http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20000430_faustina_en.html" target="_blank">Feast day of St. Faustina</a> about a year and a half after my friend’s Divine Mercy Chaplet Novena. <br />
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But it only takes me <i>ten</i> minutes to say the Divine Mercy Chaplet, whereas the rosary takes me <i>twenty</i> minutes or more. <br />
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As a child, we had meatless Fridays. At some point after I left the Catholic Church, meatless Fridays were replaced by a personal penance of our own choice on Fridays. Although this penance is still obligatory, from what I can tell, many Catholics my age are unaware of this. I only discovered that we are called to perform a personal penance on Fridays a few months ago. <br />
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The perfect penance for me is going to Church to pray the rosary on Fridays during adoration.<br />
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I am <a href="http://www.marian.org/whatwedo/devotiontomary.php?" target="_blank">consecrated to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary</a>. This was something I did early on when I came back to the Catholic Church—that is, once I found out about it. My consecration day is on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which is always celebrated on that Saturday following the Friday Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus which both follows the feast of Corpus Christi. My consecration gives me even more reason to be frustrated with my struggles to get through the rosary.<br />
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But why is it so hard for me? So many people love to pray the rosary.<br />
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I love to read the original writings of the Saints in the Catholic Church. I take encouragement in that even great saints had struggles in their prayer life. So why should a spiritual weakling, such as myself, expect no challenges? <a href="http://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/st-teresas-bookmark.html" target="_blank">St. Teresa of Avila</a> wrote about her struggles in her prayer life in <b>The Life of Saint Teresa of Avila by Herself</b>. And for what do we remember St. Teresa? We remember her for her great prayer life among other things. After years of slogging through difficult periods of prayer she was given the gift of contemplation where the Lord lifting her up both spiritually and physically (yep!) in ecstasy in during prayer. Bernini immortalized the ecstasy of St. Teresa in his sculpture.<br />
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During my Evangelical years, I took the verse Matt 6:7 as a forever absolution of my ever praying the rosary again. At that time I thought, “<i>Why do the Catholics pray the rosary when the bible tells us not to keep repeating ourselves?</i>” However, I now recognize that my misdirected thinking was taking the verse completely out of the historical context in which it was written. When I pray the rosary, the rhythm of those repeated prayers and the movement of our fingers quiet down my mind to actually allow me to meditate on the mysteries of the God’s mind-blowing actions in Salvation History. <br />
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When I facilitated the ‘<a href="http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/HAPP" target="_blank">33 Days to Morning Glory</a>’ class in my home parish, I recall Fr. Michael Gaitley saying, “<i>I do not know why Mary likes us to say the rosary so much, but she does!</i>” on one of the videos. <br />
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Ever since then (and that was a couple years back) I have been asking, <span style="text-align: center;">“</span><i style="text-align: center;">Why does Mary like us to say the rosary so much</i><span style="text-align: center;">?” </span><br />
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The answer came as quickly as a dried up kernel of corn metamorphosizes into a piece of popcorn when the perfect temperature is reached. My stubbornly empty kernel of ‘wondering why’ was replaced by a soft, fragrant billowy bite of understanding and accompanying peace. My explanation could be of my own creation but it makes sense to me and has had a profound impact on my prayer life. <br />
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<i>The rosary is not so difficult to pray anymore.</i><br />
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I was in adoration thinking about how God is outside of time. He has to be because he created both space and time. Now Christ is fully divine and fully human…The Incarnation is this great mystery. Thus events in human history that Christ participated in occurred in time, as do things we do, but Christ's actions exist outside of time, too as God-events. It is especially helpful to think this way about the to the passion of Our Lord!<br />
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Remember the agony in the garden of Jesus? Jesus so wanted his three best apostle-buddies to keep him company. They kept falling asleep while Jesus’ agony was so intense his blood became as drops of blood. [BTW, this is a real medical phenomena, hematohidrosis.] Remember how when Christ was hanging from the cross and His mother, his Aunt Mary, John, and Mary Magdalene were the only ones who kept him company? <br />
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Both those events are actual historical events, but also they are outside of time as God-events. Indeed in the Mass we are united with the sacrifice of Calvary precisely because this God-event is outside of time. That is what it means, the representation of the sacrifice of Calvary. When I hear the under-educated complaining about how boring the Mass is--I see the apostles asleep unable to keep Jesus company. So many are asleep to the meaning of the Mass and the power of the Eucharist even among practicing Catholics.<br />
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Now when I meditate on the sorrow mysteries, as I do on Fridays when I pray my rosary, I can make myself present to Christ and console Him during His passion. I can be there at Gethsemane and at Calvary. <br />
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This is the answer that I received. I can take the struggles of my prayer life, in focusing my roaming mind and my recalcitrant will, to Jesus and unite them to His passion. Mary has such a sweet way of bringing me into the company with her Son. This is what it means to me to <a href="http://www.thedivinemercy.org/news/story.php?NID=3335&title=Can-We-Really-Console-the-Heart-of-Jesus" target="_blank">Console the Heart of Jesus</a>.<br />
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Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223440192959391286.post-24756470256644147622015-07-26T11:00:00.003-07:002015-07-27T19:38:36.886-07:00Lessons from the Flying Flowers<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
You call them butterflies. I call
them flying flowers. They slay me with
their delicate beauty. When I see them
alight on my flowers, I am catapulted into my imaginary Garden of Eden by the combined
panoply of colors, symmetry, and fragrance.
Which leads me to the topic of flowers…<br />
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In the Mid-South it helps greatly to be cursed with stubbornness. Otherwise how can I explain that I have
refused to give up growing on roses in our clay soil and high humidity? And shall we not forget the summer’s temperamental
weather that alternates between drought and relentless heat only to be randomly
punctuated with deluge-like summer rains that can take days for the soil to accept. </div>
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The crowning insult for my flowers, and what could be the death knoll for
my butterflies, is the visitation of Japanese beetles for the three full months
of June, July, and August. Japanese
beetles have impeccable taste, as their favorite flowers are mine as well. Granted, they do possess an iridescent
exoskeleton but whatever loveliness they may possess pays lousy dividends as
they decimate my flowers!</div>
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Most people use an insecticide, called Sevin, to
control these pests that so far only torment those of us who live east of
the Mississippi River. I cannot use Sevin
because I love my butterflies and honey bees.
Sevin is an indiscriminate killer, and although it is very effective, I
cannot sacrifice my butterflies or bees upon the altar of my rose bushes’
health. Thus I must settle for twice-a-day
slap-downs on fifty-two rose bushes and weekly (or more applications) of neem
oil, which is not nearly as effective as Sevin.
Neem oil does not harm sucking insects only chomping ones, like Japanese
beetles. </div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><i>I love butterflies for so many reasons. </i></b></span>
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Let’s start when they are in their ugly caterpillar stage. They are a reminder to me of how I was before
I believed with 100% certitude that God existed. That was before the Lord showed me how much He loved me...<i>even</i> when I was dead in my sins! I did
not give God the time of day and did not even obey the Natural Law let alone His
commandments. Stubbornness incarnate…aka
me. Perhaps that still describes me, but
now I attempt to direct that stubbornness towards my <i>sanctification</i>. </div>
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Did you know that if you try to help the butterfly as it emerges from its chrysalis, thereby interrupting its struggle, that it will never be strong enough to fly? Once we become true believers we'd like to believe that we can run the spiritual marathon with<i>out</i> pain and struggle. But this is not how we are sanctified. It is only thorough great travail that we are
remade in the image of Christ. Our
spiritual muscles grow as we suffer. </div>
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The butterfly gives glory to God by doing the same things over and over
again. Yes, it is in the butterfly’s
nature to do so, and by simply living according to its nature, the butterfly gives glory to God.<br />
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The first two humans were made in the image and
likeness of God, once God breathed an immortal soul into them. In the Hebrew, saying that someone is created in the image and
likeness of a person means that they are his children. Thus we are told in Genesis that Adam and Eve were sons and daughters of God in that first "Garden". <br />
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Once the first parents committed a very personal
sin against God, that direct kinship was broken both for them and their offspring. Yes, we are all God's creatures; the butterfly and I have that in common. But just because one is human does not make one a child of God. All of humanity would have to wait to become adopted sons and daughters of God for the graces that were poured out through Christ's Passion and Death, our Redemption, made available in the sacrament of Baptism. Perhaps this does not seem politically correct to you, but God is not bound by our notions of fairness with are frequently distorted and out of alignment with God.<br />
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I relate very
much to this adoption scenario because my own adoption, as an infant, that left me hungry to know who I was and to discover my biological parentage. Eventually God
used that ravenous hunger and emptiness to bring me to Himself but only after I
had sunk about as low as one could go—which is the inspiration for my novel (in
progress). </div>
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The butterfly trusts that when it goes from flower to flower that it will
find food not poison (like Sevin). Oh, how
I wish I had such dependable trust in the goodness of God to meet my daily
physical, mental, and spiritual needs! I
put on my own butterfly wings, as I pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, attempting to cloak
myself in the simple unquestioning trust that my little butterfly friends
demonstrate.</div>
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Occasionally I find butterfly wings after my little friends have finished
their lives. I see little broken parts
here and there on their wings. They are
still beautiful but they no longer look perfect. Such is the curse of time outside the "Garden". As we age, our physical body
undergoes the metamorphosis that heralds our own mortality. We call that swan song by despised names like wrinkles,
saggy skin, grey hair, and pain. </div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #990000;">What about our souls? </span></i></b></div>
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If
we do things God’s way, our souls acquire beauty as we run through the gauntlet
of our mortal life. We can unite all our heartaches,
disappointments, pains, and sorrows to the cross of Christ and ask the Father to use these very things to conform us to the image and likeness of His Son. <br />
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This is the much misunderstood process of <i>sanctification. </i>Sanctification has been largely ignored in many non-Catholic Christian faith traditions. And many Catholics, due to poor catechesis, do not understand the process of sanctification either. I believe that the failure to understand sanctification is at the heart of Christians who support same sex marriage and abortion. Such people, who in many cases love God deeply, have both misplaced mercy and undue trust in their own powers of spiritual discernment. Why? Because they have no concept of sanctification through the gift of redemptive suffering!<br />
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Sanctification is that process that, as we step into immortality at the point of our deaths, enables us to understand what true beauty really
is and allows us to be drawn to it! We will have the capacity to understand and, ultimately, to be united with the <a href="https://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/B12BDEUS.HTM" target="_blank">beatific vision</a>! </div>
Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223440192959391286.post-34055494094568732012015-07-25T12:29:00.001-07:002015-07-27T10:45:26.208-07:00I Am Told That I Must BlogNowadays anyone can self-publish a book. There are many great books in print and/or electronic form ready to be enjoyed while curled up in one's comfy chair. Unfortunately there are a glut of poorly written books available for your torment, too. Self-publication has made the good, the bad, and the boring all in ample supply. I hope to contribute my first novel sooner…or later. It would be nice to have my novel be good and, at worst, boring. <br />
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My novel may be published quite a bit later if I do not stop succumbing to any and all legitimate distractions that preclude my actually finishing it.<br />
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I am told that I must also blog. Blogging is expected. If I want my book to be read by more than friends and family, it is essential that I promote myself and my writing via a blog or website. You get the idea.<br />
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Now I am in no way opposed to blogging. Previously I blogged for five years and loved every minute of it. I was working full-time and wrote several times a month as a break from my science-related job on weekends and evenings. It was a painless and fun way to write for relaxation without the pressure of trying to get published in science-related journals. At that time, I wrote using my real name.<br />
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I killed that blog about the time I reverted to my withered and under-catechized cradle-Catholic roots from Evangelical Protestantism. I became an Evangelical Christian after decades of agnosticism and living life my way. (Guess what? God's way works much better!)<br />
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I stopped blogging because I was so blown away by how wrong many of my ideas were about the Catholic Church...how many more of my thoughts were half-baked?! I needed time to research, study, and inhale the centuries of truth and fabulous Catholic writings of the saints and theologians that I had not availed myself of for more than 50 years! That is a delicious on-going experience.<br />
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My blog postings will be semi-random but probably a couple times a month. I will aim for once weekly. It is my way of opening up my heart and mind to you, the reader should happen across my blog. <br />
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Many blessings, Meggie<br />
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Meggie K. Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06766124563449101459noreply@blogger.com0