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© 1986  Túrelio  (via Wikimedia-Commons), 1986 /  Lizenz:  Creative Commons CC-BY-SA-2.0 de It's fitting that the anniversary of Mother Teresa's speech upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize falls during the week we begin to celebrate a Jubilee Year of Mercy. Her call is as clear and relevant today as it was a generation ago. "Just get together, love one another, bring that peace, that joy, that strength of presence of each other in the home, and we will be able to overcome all of the evil that is in the world. Love begins at home. If we all look into our own homes, how difficult we find it sometimes to smile at each other. That smile is the beginning of love. Make time for each other in your family." Read more at Leaven for the Loaf .

Year of Mercy: What is it all about? What can we expect? Pope Francis ushered in the Year of Mercy yesterday. This Jubilee Year of Mercy extends to the Feast of Christ the King on November 20, 2016. From now until then, anyone who enters through the “ Door of Mercy…will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instills hope. ” 1 What is this “Year of Mercy” all about? Pope Francis declared the Jubilee Year of Mercy “ so that we may become a more effective sign of the Father’s action in our lives ” 2 . Our world has become so fractured and broken with much hatred. We see it in the... Read more...

On December 6 we celebrate the feast of St. Nicholas, when I hold my annual party for local convents in the tradition of my religious community. We inherited this celebration from the Sisters in Holland who helped form us German Sisters of Notre Dame. The feast entails gingerbread bishops, apple tarts, oranges, popcorn balls, bags of goodies, the singing of “St. Nicholas Day” and “Jolly Old St. Nicholas,” and a prayer to St. Nick. I was introduced to this feast my first year in the convent, when we usually had silent meals. Suddenly at supper, a figure with a miter and crosier appeared at the door and a creature clothed in black slithered around the floor, hitting our legs with branches. These were St. Nick, who rewarded the good, and Ruprecht, who punished those who did wrong. (Neither of these come to my party!) Through the centuries, St. Nick, a generous bishop, evolved into the gift-giver we know as Santa (Saint) Claus (short for Nicholas). St. Nicholas makes a perfe

(From The Cloistered Heart)

Star of the Sea I have read accounts of visionaries of Mary who spoke of the beauty of the Blessed Virgin as a beauty that lef... As the Morning Rising: Star of the Sea / Immaculate Conception continue reading

Pope Francis described the Jubilee Year of Mercy back in April 2015 in his official document,  Misericordiae Vultus . The final paragraph of that document knocks my socks off. Here's my favorite part: “In this Jubilee Year, let us allow God to surprise us. He never tires of casting open the doors of his heart and of repeating that he loves us and wants to share his love with us.” — Misericordiae Vultus, ¶25 Let us allow God to surprise us! Amen! I'm excited to journey intentionally through this Year of Mercy. On this December 8th morning, though, as we begin the jubilee, I am thinking less about what   I  plan on doing and more on what God can do. Truly, I am overwhelmed at what the Lord wants to offer us. “From the heart of the Trinity, from the depths of the mystery of God, the great river of mercy wells up and overflows unceasingly. It is a spring that will never run dry, no matter how many people draw from it. Every time someone is in need, he or she

ST PAUL'S LOST LITTER TO THE MADDERN WOLD PLEESE CLUCK HEAR

It came to me in the sudden realization, "This is what Hell is." I didn't see the burning, unending agony the Saints have seen. I thank the Lord He knows me well enough to understand I'm not strong enough to witness such suffering even in those justly condemned by their own choices. But I understood what must be one of the greatest agonies of Hell, and it wasn't an eternity of physical torture. It was no gnawing and gnashing of teeth. It was what was not in Hell that hurt souls most. It was their inability to give or receive Love. What made Hell so awful was, quite simply, a complete absence of Love. And I knew this is what Hell would be. To continue reading, please join me at SingleMomSmiliing.com

Photo: R. Massaro Lourdes, France Our Lady reveals herself to St. Bernadette: " I Am the Immaculate Conception" Lourdes-Live Webcam It has been written that St. Bernadette desired to be a Carmelite nun but because of her poor health was not able to enter the Order. She eventually entered the Sisters of Charity at Nevers, France. During the apparitions at Lourdes very few words were spoken between St. Bernadette and Our Lady. Bernadette seemed to be a natural contemplative, she was quiet and reflective, she had an open heart and listened-ready to do the will of God. At the first apparition on Feb. 11, 1858, Bernadette heard the call of Our Lady, not only in the physical sign of Our Lady's impending appearance by the wind shaking the the trees, but in her heart. Bernadette described that she felt a "call" to go to the Grotto. It was an interior spiritual prompting of the Holy Spirit that attracted her to the Grotto to meet Our Lady. Bernadette had to be a person

32 days ago, Pam Spano, author of the blog, Being Catholic. Really , suggested that whomever would like to do so, begin the Morning Glory consecration to Our Lady. Tomorrow, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, those of us who chose to join Pam, will be completing our retreat and will be consecrating ourselves to Mary. This is an enormous grace for all of us and a tremendous leap of faith. By consecrating ourselves to Mary, we will be giving her all that we are to do with as she chooses. We are entrusting to Mary our hearts, our souls, our lives, our families, our possessions: all that we are and will be to become totally dependent on her as our Mother, who is also the Mother of God. Our lives will be totally under her control. Read More at Prayerfully Yours

 Immaculate Conception  O Mary conceived without sin Chosen to bear God’s only Son You are more beautiful Than our imagi... read more As the Morning Rising: Immaculate Conception Prayer Poem

Veronica. The name probably rouses thoughts of the Stations of the Cross, as is natural. Just after Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry His heavy load, and just prior to His second fall, a simple character emerges from the blood-thirsty crowd to perform a magnificent act. With feminine gentleness, Veronica removes the veil from her head and offers Our Lord what little relief possible, soaking up the blood and sweat from His eyes and face. No doubt, the blood and sweat would run again, but the effectiveness of her remedy was not important. What mattered was her courage – her  willingness  to reject the callous crowd and defend Our Lord, especially when no one (save His holy mother) would dare. For such a reason, she is now a saint.

Virtuous What does the word “virtuous” conjure up in your mind? Are you thinking of someone who is holier than thou? Are you thinking that it’s definitely not you? Well, think again! We all have good character traits that others see in us. Those good character traits are virtuous! And yes, we also have certain qualities about us that might not be so attractive. But that’s life! We are an imperfect people, striving for perfection that will be obtained in the next life. But for today, we are all on a journey, working our way home to Heaven! In this life, we have choices to make: Do we want to grow closer to God, or do we covet sin and vice?  Read more...

"Some people are crying this week. Not everyone is in the mood for Christmas."  Those were providential words for me one Advent as I came to terms with a death in my family. Some people are in mourning this week. You, perhaps? Death of a loved one, loss of a job, a relationship falling apart: grief and pain and loss don’t take the season  off. Christmas can be hard to take. I learned this firsthand a few years back. Think of the people hurting this Advent. Please, reach out. It makes a difference. I’ve felt it. It might be the best pro-life ministry you could perform right now. The Friday before Advent in 2000, my father succumbed to cancer. Read the full post at Leaven for the Loaf .  

Recently I was contacted by a young man who said he was very scared because he was experiencing demonic oppression.  He sounded terrified and didn't understand what was happening or what to do about it.   Now, normally we are called to be sceptical and not see the devil under every bush, but something about this young man's genuine fear pulled me more to belief than not.  I know that he could have had mental issues, or been just someone craving attention, but what he told me he was experiencing would dispel both of those theories.  TO READ MORE...CLICK HERE!

WHAT IS HER SECRET? WHAT IS HURTING IN HER PAST? PLEASE CLICK HERE

Advent Is a Time of Waiting But How Do We Wait? Do we wait with joyful expectation or has life’s disappointments left us jaded and closed to any spiritual surprises? Come to think of it, how many of us actually expect to receive any spiritual joy on Christmas morning? When we are secretly cynical, we will not receive a thing, not even a tiny flicker of Light because we have locked the door to our hearts. Then, our cynicism will be confirmed once again; we will cement our cynicism in place for another year. continue reading

In the midst of a secular, godless, 'we're-doing-fine-by-ourselves' world, there appears in this one season a window of opportunity. There is a slot, a crack in the Everyday. A few short weeks during which the whisper of God might be heard through carol or card.... (continue)

  INTRODUCING THE YEAR of DIVINE MERCY –           1 – The Hound of Heaven : -   This coming Tuesday on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the   Year of Divine Mercy   will be inaugurated by Pope Francis. But first, before we proclaim God’s Mercy to the world, we must first learn to receive it for ourselves for nobody listens to those who don’t first practise what they preach.         read on.....................................

On Wednesday, December 2, 2015, at about 6:59 p.m. UTC, 10:59 a.m. PST, two people killed 14 others at a holiday office party in San Bernardino, California. The killers were located and stopped a few hours later, and died during an armed confrontation with law enforcement. I put names of the dead, and a few links, at the end of this post. 1 I'm still experiencing anger, disgust, and several other emotions in connection with this latest mass murder. It's an unpleasant sensation, but I'd probably be more concerned if I didn't notice any emotional response. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Gazes Lovingly You gaze on me, Lord. I know it. And through trial more than any other means I have learned to gaze a lit... read more  As the Morning Rising: Gazes : 

Such an amazing first week of Advent -- 7 Quick Take style: #SnapAdvent Photo Challenges kick off My current Jam - new music from Jeremy Camp Endorsed an AMAZING book on Adoption (a topic VERY dear to my heart!) Retreat season winding down Praying for Holy Souls; 54-Day Rosary Novenas and Miracles to boot Come take a peek at my week - and BE SURE to share yours as well ... READ MORE ! 

Thus says the Lord GOD: But a very little while, and Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard, and the orchard be regarded as a forest! On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book; And out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see. The lowly will ever find joy in the LORD, and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. auntjojo Surely..., Flickr Creative Common Click here to continue.

Climate change talks in Paris started this week, with the usual protesters and editorials. Meanwhile, folks in Minnesota are shopping at Christmas tree farms: and a performance artist in Beijing made a brick from smog.... ...I'm convinced that climate change happens: and has been happening since before life began on Earth, 3,800,000,000 or so years back. As I've said before, the natural world got along fine without us. Now that we're here, however, we're responsible for its maintenance.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

photo of Cardinal O'Connor from EWTN.com In Colorado. three people died and nine were injured after a recent shooting near a Planned Parenthood facility. Did peaceful pro-life activists contribute to the violence? No - not now, and not a generation ago, when the murders of two abortion facility employees led to calls for a temporary end to public pro-life witness. A few days after those deaths, John Cardinal O'Connor of New York preached on the feast of the Epiphany about how to respond to the culture of death. He respected his brother bishops who called for a moratorium on pro-life demonstrations, but he made a forceful case for continuing them. "I would like to believe, however, that the current outcries against the pro-life movement are a reflection of frustration rather than a concerted effort to marginalize millions of non-violent, peaceful people whose only sin is their love for every human life, the life of every baby, the life of every mother. If there is a con

Linaoli Tabernacle, St John the Baptist , Fra Angelico, c.1433 Museo di San Marco, Florence [ Web Gallery of Art Gospel Luke 3:1-6 (NRV, Catholic Edition, Can)  In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth;  and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’

Young Jew as Christ , Rembrandt, c.1648 Staatliche Museen, Berlin [ Web Gallery of Art ] Jesus Christ is the face of the Father's mercy. ( Pope Francis ) Universal: EXPERIENCING GOD’S MERCY That all may experience the mercy of God, who never tires of forgiving. The Holy Family with Angels , Rembrandt, 1645 The Hermitage, St Petersburg [ Web Gallery of Art ] And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. ( John 1:14 ) Evangelization: FAMILIES That families, especially those who suffer, may find in the birth of Jesus a sign of certain hope. Intentions and videos from the website of the Apostleship of Prayer.

Mary Graham interviewed me for her series of radio shows called “Living Witnesses.” Mary also hosts  Adoration Radio .  Her bio on Breadbox Media reveals a woman who has impressive experience in radio. You can hear my podcast on Breadbox Media http://breadboxmedia.podbean.com/e/living-witnesses-featuring-melanie-jean-juneau-120115/ continue reading

The tradition of giving and receiving gifts at Christmas time is a bit of a double edged sword – lots of good things involved, lots of parenting challenges as well. Lots of things I don’t want:  I DON’T want Christmas gift giving to become the focus. But  also I DON’T want our kids to miss out on a fun tradition that, done in moderation, can teach a lot about the meaning of both giving and receiving. I DON’T want to break the piggy bank and live like a pauper for the rest of the year because all our money went into gifts. I DON’T want to end up with a house full of toys and “stuff” that gets excitedly used for a few hours, starts more than a few fights and ultimately ends up lying around tripping people. I DON’T want our kids to set high expectations, or feel entitled to getting the latest and greatest each year. Lots of things I do want:  I DO want my kids to experience the love behind the gifts they receive from friends and relatives. I DO want my kids to experience the grati

As we joyfully enter the season of Advent, there is both a seriousness and an excitement that fills my heart! What I mean by this is, I still get butterflies in my stomach as I turn back the flaps of each day on the Advent calendar, bringing us one day closer to Christmas. The tree, the stockings, peppermint in the air (and in my coffee), snow on the ground, happy bustling people in the stores, hot ovens producing delicious creations everywhere! Festive red and green outfits and ugly sweaters (that somehow caught on as a “thing”), holiday parties, and renewed traditions such as caroling door to door! Everywhere I look, I find that joy is truly in the “air.” It is contagious during the season of Advent. With all the merry joy, anticipation, and smiles from strangers, my own spirit of charity is strengthened as well. Increased desires to give to those who are less fortunate, visit a home for the elderly in my community, or even just shovel the neighbors drive and bring cookies to