Being little

"Oh, how good the Lord is in not letting me go astray! I know that He will guard me, even jealously, but only as long as I remain little, because it is with such that the great Lord likes to commune. As to proud souls, He watches them from afar and opposes them" (St. Faustina, 1440).

Today, I am afraid of nothing. I am not afraid of my littleness. I am not afraid of my falls. For as many times as I fall today, I will turn to You-- not discouraged, but with a contrite heart. I will tell You everything. To convert means to turn around to You, to face You, to look tward You, to love You with all my energy, my mind, my soul, and my heart. Jesus, I beg You for the grace to be continually converted today, to begin yet again in seeking You, no matter how many times I have to turn back to You. (Meditation by Fr. Leszek Czelusniak, MIC)

Lent and St. Faustina

If you haven't read The Diary of St. Faustina, you're missing out. Don't be intimidated by its size; it's a fast read, and you'll reap countless insights from it. I was reading it in 2006 while pregnant with Francesca. After Mass at St. James one day, a slight, elderly nun approached me. She handed me a holy card with the Divine Mercy image on it and whispered sweetly, "Trust in Jesus!" Perhaps seeing me pregnant she felt I could use some encouragement (it had been a rough go with morning sickness, I won't lie). I was amazed to learn she's a relative of St. Faustina's, working to spread the Divine Mercy message in the northern Virginia area! Feeling strongly this was no random coincidence, we decided on "Faustina" as Francesca's middle name.

This little Lenten reader Hilary gave me a couple years ago gives a snippet from the Diary for each day of Lent. I'll try to post one or two a day that I find particularly thought-provoking and prayer-inspiring. They speak to the suffering soul (i.e. every one of us). Here's a few for today:

Christ to St. Faustina:

The loss of each soul plunges Me into mortal sadness. You always console Me when you pray for sinners. The prayer most pleasing to Me is prayer for the conversion of sinners. Know, My daughter, that this prayer is always heard and answered (1397).

I desire that you know more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart for souls, and you will understand this when you meditate on My Passion (186).

You are my great joy; your love and your humility make Me leave the heavenly throne and unite Myself with you. Love fills up the abyss that exists between My greatness and your nothingness (512).

She has a pleasant face, doesn't she? It kindof reminds me of JPII's... must be a Polish thing, or maybe a saint thing.

A Lenten birthday

"Mommy, I thought you were holy..."

Hilary's birthday was Sunday so we took the opportunity to celebrate with mimosas and decadent homemade chocolate cupcakes. Sorry, Jimmy Akin, we know you're horrified.  Rose looks pretty surprised, too. I blame Dave, who handed me the bowl he made icing in. It's all his fault.

Yay Pop pop!

Congrats to Dad for his successful conference Tuesday. Pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, speaks on religious freedom.

Lo how a rose e'er blooming...

Happy St. Valentine's Day and Lent, no less! These red roses are amazing...such perfect blooms. Well done, Proflowers. Valentine's Day festivities come at the perfect time- bleak mid-winter- and in this case, after a day of prayer and fasting. The burst of color is doing us all good. Thank you, my Valentine.

We love all things rose.

Picture courtesy of Francesca.

Few points to ponder

I can't figure out how to attach an audio file to this post, but Fr. James Hudgins has some salient points about the papal resignation that I've found helpful and worth sharing:

1) This has happened 5 times before, though this is the first time a pope has resigned for health reasons. Fr. H suggests this may not be the only time we see this in our modern era. Being pope now requires a distinctly modern ability to move quickly, physically and mentally- think Twitter and jet planes. Pope Benedict XVI is older than John Paul II was when he died. He clearly feels he is not up to the pace required of him.

2) This is happening in the form of a total out-of-the-blue surprise, which is the ideal way it should happen. Force, pressure, public scandal are not ideal ways to leave a papacy. He made this decision freely.

3)What's going to happen to Benedict when he steps down? He will probably disappear completely from the public eye, and chances are he will go live with his brother.

And finally, from the beginning, every detail of God's plan has unfolded just the way He wished.

These are interesting thoughts. Thanks, Fr. H., for providing them.

Seven Years

Happy anniversary, Mr. Cook.

What a day of mixed emotion, with this sad announcement from our Papa. I can't help but feel...mourning. I have so much respect and love for this man, whose rare embodiment of intelligence and deep humility come through his writings.  This is no doubt a time for trust, knowing our Lord is ever leading and protecting the true Church He established. The gates of Hell will not prevail against It! Prayers prayers prayers for Benedict and the future pope.

Dressed to celebrate Chinese New Years' Eve at Peking Gourmet with some wonderful friends. Shout out to Aunt Natalie and Stacey for holding down the fort at home!

Controlling us all from her perch.