Listen to God's voice at the foot of the crucifix." ~St. Gaspar del Bufaro~
Showing posts with label Mary's Birthday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mary's Birthday. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

I'm Turning My Husband Over To Another Woman

The torment has been unbelievable,
the anger unbearable,
as I have attempted to navigate the road of hurt that has occurred in my marriage.

The lies that the prince of darkness whispers in our ears had penetrated my husband's heart and now I was buying in too.

As my screams echoed in the kitchen, it was a miracle that I could still hear a small, soft, voice cry out inside of me...What are you doing? Who is it that you are battling here?
It was a good question that begged emergency attention and prayer.
Who was it that I was really battling?
How could I have missed the real enemy? 
Maybe because he doesn't actually have horns or wear a little red suit...
Maybe because Satan disguises himself as a helpful voice to fill ourselves with more of ourselves...
Yes. It was he, the epitome of prIde, vice, and death that continued to relentlessly seek our marriage, just like he does with many others. 
Now, more than ever, it wasn't time to throw in the towel...It was time to call for backup.
It was time to turn my husband over to another woman.

Who better to oppose the real enemy in our marriage but the woman who is at enmity with the devil (Gen. 3:15) by bearing the Savior, Jesus Christ, God Himself, in her womb? 

She crushes the serpent through Christ's birth and by opposing the devil with her humility, virtue, and life.   What better woman to call on than the Mother of God, Mary, most holy.
It became clear that I needed to battle the true enemy with my prayers and not with my pride.  This mess is way too much for me to even consider trying to figure out or control.  I desperately needed help.
 
This woman...She's got this.
She's our mother. 
At the foot of the Cross, Christ entrusted Mary to all of us. (John 19:27)
Her soul magnifies the Lord. (Luke 1:46)

I place my husband into Mary's arms with perfect confidence.

I pray...
Every day, I must pray for my husband:

That he sees Mary's beauty as the perfect model for womanhood and not desire to view false images that come up empty.
That he feels the warm embrace of a woman who carried God in her arms and never feel lonely again.
That he may know the mercy of the woman who suffered her Son's murder and followed him to the cross, hence know freedom from shame.
That he accept this woman as his queen and sureness to heaven and be home.
That he breathe in her Immaculate heart full of love that gives freely and return real love to others.
That he never look away from her gorgeous gaze that reflects purity and grace and see what a real woman should be.
And most importantly...I pray that he chase after her to know her Son, Jesus, more perfectly.  Jesus, who came to give us life and hope that is beyond the Cross.
She knows that He knows.
She leads us to Him, the way, the truth, the life.

I'm turning my husband over to another woman because in doing this I am also turning over myself.
I'm done fighting the wrong enemy and strengthening my resolve to battle the real one.
We have help in this battle and we are never alone.
Regardless of what happens in my marriage or in this life, I want to be on the right team...lest I forget who wins!
+++If you can spare a prayer, please continue to keep Rod and I (and our family) in your prayers+++


Sunday, September 23, 2012

This And That...September Liturgical Highlights

It's hard to believe that September has flown by already...
Thought I'd share a few of my favorite liturgical things from the month:)
Happy Birthday Mama!  Mary's birthday was one of my favorite feast days this month.  Each year our Little Flowers and Blue Knight's group kicks off the school year with a picnic to celebrate the Nativity of Our Lady.  The highlight was having Father M. graciously stopped by to bless everyone.
One of the *new things* that we did this year was make a prayer box. Everyone wrote out their prayer intentions on slips of paper to place them in the box.  We got permission to place them on the altar for Our Lady's Intercession.  (The Mass for the Nativity of Our Lady was being held the next morning.)
It's a little dark but the children were placing their intentions at the foot of the altar.
Isn't this a cute photo (below)?  My friend's little one "running to Mama":)
Holy Name of Mary~  We said goodbye to one of our favorite priests on this feast day...Never an easy thing to do!  A group of our parish friends made dinner, hosted at our house.  I had NO napkin rings that weren't Christmas themed so this easy idea emerged under pressure:) It's an easy idea that could be used for any liturgical feast, tea, or party:)
Saintly Napkin Rings
I just took some wired ribbon and a photo of our parish Fatima shrine (changing the shape and size via my photo program) and printed on card stock...
Everything was connected by my trusty friend, the glue gun:)
I don't have the best precision when it comes to scissors but hey, it all worked out!
Exaltation of the Holy Cross:
Can I tell you how much we are loving American Heritage Girls? (AHG) A troop was recently started at our parish and it's been such a wonderful scouting program and Christian-based character development for girls.  Princess made these cupcakes on the Feast of the Holy Cross for our AHG National Day of Service, the next day.  If you don't know about the failings of Girl Scouts of America, please click this link and be informed.
The girls visited a home for the mentally disabled that had never had visitors!  That alone had a huge impact on our hearts...
Each girl made their own cupcakes based on the Free To Be A Blessing badge.
The remainder of the cupcakes were delivered to a home for abused children:)
It was a SWEET day on many levels...In fact, the Catholic News Service also featured a nice article in support of this American Heritage Girls National Day of Service...Thrilled to have great press from our faith:) I just can't say enough about American Heritage Girls and its positive program.  We simply love it!  
On the home front...I've been reflecting on how serving others really starts at home, the place where it's most difficult to serve. Sometimes it's easy to serve people outside our homes when we can step out and put on a happy face for a moment in time.  But when we really think about serving Jesus 24/7, day in an day out, by caring for our spouse and children or even extended family, it's just plain tough stuff.  As a parent, herein lies a serious challenge to care for the needy in our homes, each and every day.  I am reminded that an example of joyful service in my home begins with me.  Probably the biggest obstacle many parents face is being fully present with their families, not just being with them.  With all of the technological distractions, I know that I fail each day and I grow weary of my shortcomings.  Yet I try, try, again, keenly aware of my desire to be of better service to my family.
This beautiful sunrise on my morning jog reminded me of the beauty that God creates for us each day.  Through His gentle hand, we have the opportunity to see Him in all we do...And begin again, thanks to His loving grace.
*Hallelujah*
  I'm working on being patient with myself (which I am not good at) and finding peace while working from the inside out.   This daily online retreat from the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales is a gentle spiritual boost that speaks to me right now.  Check it out! You may also subscribe to the daily retreat via FB. They have Advent and Lenten online retreats as well:)
"He who is fretted with his own failings will not correct them.  All profitable correction comes from a calm, peaceful mind."
~St. Francis de Sales~

Monday, September 12, 2011

I Saw Mary...A Birthday Picnic

Our Little Flowers and Blue Knights group held a birthday picnic last week, in honor of Our Lady.  
We first gathered in prayer...

 The Litany to the Blessed Virgin Mary was prayed, followed by a small procession around our Fatima shrine, praying a decade of the Rosary.

Birthday balloons followed prayer...blue and white of course!
(Blue for Mary's color and white for her purity)
We wanted to give Mama Mary a gift since she gave us the best gift ever...Jesus, God's only Begotten Son!
We closed our eyes and thought about how we could give Jesus to others, just as Mary did.
We silently thought about ways to do this through our love, compassion, care, forgiveness, and acts of charity....Knowing that when we can be mirrors of Jesus, we become true children of Mary and God Himself.
Then we released our balloons to the heavens...
Happy Birthday Mother Mary!
It was fun to watch them disappear...
A picnic followed our little ceremony...Here I saw Mary.

I saw Mary... in the sacrifices of the Mothers who brought their little ones to her in multiples!  Leading their children closer to Jesus, through Mary, they came despite the hardship that it takes to get several children dressed, out the door, in the car, lunch packed, etc, etc.

I saw Mary...smiling through the wombs of pregnant Mamas.  Their "yes" to God shines through their example.

I saw Mary... in the voices of Moms who are preparing for older children to leave the nest...Some for the first time and others for the second and third time.  Despite the pain in their hearts, they know that God's plan for their children is His and not theirs.   Just as Mary watched Jesus leave for His public ministry, they wonder and wait too...and it still hurts.

I saw Mary... in the women who helped each other with one another's children, even while juggling their own, including babies in their womb.  The visitation was reenacted as hands reached out and little acts of charity prevailed.

The afternoon ended with Mary's Birthday cake!
A Hail Mary was prayed as each candle was lit!
(10 candles on each cake, representing a decade of the Rosary)
All ages gathered around to pray and sing Happy Birthday to our Heavenly Mother!
I saw Mary today... in the desires of many hearts to be closer to her Son.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Happy Birthday Blessed Mother!

The cakes are decorated and looking forward to Our Lady's Birthday celebration!
We are kicking off our Little Flowers/Blue Knight's group with a Marian birthday party...Stay tuned for more details.  For now, a few sneak peaks at the birthday cakes:)
I'm no professional but I sure love honoring our Heavenly Mother!
We also made these blue Mary's Praying Arms pretzels to share!
These are yogurt-covered pretzels...with the added touch of blue sprinkles!
The girls had fun making these!
We are ready for our fun celebration, complete with balloons for a special surprise gift to Our Lady!
"The Blessed Virgin Mary's soul was the space from which God was able to gain access to humanity."~Pope Benedict XVI~
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