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When our older daughter was about two, the Easter Bunny came to visit for the first time. A basket containing colorful jelly beans, yellow marshmallow chicks, and a chocolate Easter Bunny had magically appeared overnight! Guess what she wanted for breakfast.   https://reflections911.wordpress.com/2016/03/24/chocolate-bunny/

We remembered our Lord's execution on Friday. After Jesus was dead, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body. He and another man wrapped the body of Jesus in a burial cloth and spices, placing it in a nearby tomb. The next day was a solemn sabbath, so they were pressed for time.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

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Easter is almost here, Alleluia! How has your Holy Week been? Have you been walking with Jesus this week? Come over to Veils and Vocations to learn how to live Holy Week with Jesus!

From   The Gospel of John   (2003) directed by Philip Saville Gospel of the Mass during the Day,  John 20:1-9 The Easter Vigil in the Holy Night Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  Mark 16:1-7 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition) When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 

My husband talks in his sleep. I may not get a lot of sleep some nights, but I always get entertained. Like the night when we happened to both be lying on our sides, turned toward each other. He opened his eyes, gazed at me intently, and said, “You look like . . .” As I was thinking  Now what ? he completed his sentence. “. . . a turtle.” I look like a turtle? Squinting and staring at me more intensely, he asked, “How’d you do that?”   https://reflections911.wordpress.com/2016/01/07/living-in-another-reality/

I am writing this on the morning of Good Friday so I am in the throes of feeling the grief at Jesus being betrayed and left by his disciples to die on the cross. I am feeling the hatred that He must have felt during the Way of the Cross. I am feeling lonely, rejected, and just downright sad. Continue reading here.

EASTER THE LIES THE FACTS CLICK HERE

“The summit of the Liturgical Year is the Easter Triduum—from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday. Though chronologically three days, they are liturgically one day unfolding for us the unity of Christ’s Paschal Mystery.” – USCCB The single celebration of the Easter Triduum marks the end of the Lenten season, and leads to the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord at the Easter Vigil. The liturgical services that take place during the Easter Triduum are: Mass of the Lord’s Supper Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord Continue reading.

The question which naturally arises on this night, on the eve of Christ’s death, is where do I stand? Do I stand among the righteous, pure, self-sufficient ones or do I stand with the poor in spirit,  those captive to their woundedness, and oppressed in the face of their innate sinfulness? Do I need saved and am I humble enough to ask for help? If I can’t, then Jesus died in vain, the power of his crucifixion is wasted on me and I will be unable to rejoice on Easter Sunday. continue reading

Launching Free First of many e-books Dear Friend, Happy St Joseph’s Day  Launched on Monday 19 March 2018.  Joseph and child Jesus Glad you are here.  I did it!!! Yeah!!! Add caption You are going to  love  my  free e-book.  There is some prose but mostly poetry prayer. Seek preview here 

As we observe Holy Week, we might ask ourselves a question, "Are We Politically Correct Like Pilate?"  Saint Mark’s Gospel tells us that he was certainly a biblical version of the ‘go along to get along’ crowd. When he asked the throng what to do with Jesus, he clearly demonstrated that he knew Jesus was blameless. We got further confirmation of culpability when Pilate cited the jealousy of the Chief Priests for the arrest of Jesus. In washing his hands of the entire affair, he showed his lack of conviction and profound failure to take a stand. In this final period of heightened anticipation, will examining our consciences find us similarly weak-spined? By scrutinizing our actions in relation to prominent issues of the day, we might find an answer that does little to vindicate us. Here, then, is an opportunity to search our hearts and find His Truth. 1. Are We Politically Correct About Abortion? 2. Same Sex ‘Marriage’, a Leading Politically Correct Issue 3. Leaving

Why are we blaming society when we ourselves dismantled the village? In the essay  In the absence of ‘the village,’ mothers struggle most  by Beth Berry, the author decries the loss of “the village” (by her definition, “referring to the way of life inherent to relatively small, relatively contained multigenerational communities”) and calls it an “injustice.” The author writes that the loss of the extended family hurts mothers the most. Motherhood is, by all accounts, a lonely occupation, and an exhausting one. I wouldn’t know – I do not have children and have had, throughout my life, little inclination to motherhood. Yet I agree with her premise that the loss of an extended, multigenerational community does hurt mothers and by extension, children. Read more:   Writer Jeanne Grunert - Blog

Growing up, I heard a lot of stories about World War II. The most bizarre one I ever heard, however, took place on our own shores. It involved the man who would one day become my father-in-law. Jake (not his real name), was drafted into the army and sent to fight in Europe. Before he left, he arranged for his salary to be deposited into his brother’s bank account. His brother agreed that when he came back, the cash would be waiting for him. But if he didn’t return, there would be no question where the money was supposed to go, and there wouldn’t be any problems about a will and probate. When he came back from the war, Jake asked his brother for his money. And it was gone. His brother had spent every penny. https://reflections911.wordpress.com/2017/12/16/on-trust-and-forgiveness/

Life has gotten in the way a little bit.  I've neglected to post here in quite a while.  If you would like to catch up with my articles you can do so here: Being Catholic ... Really  (Lenten articles and my attendance at SLS18 FOCUS Conference in Chicago) And also at: CatholicMom.com  (My interview with Sister Bethany at SLS18, and other randoms thoughts) Have a joyous and blessed Easter!

Jesus asks! How do we respond? How often do we neglect to give God His due? He blesses us with so much, and at times, we barely acknowledge His existence. When was the last time you gave Him one hour of your time in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament? In the reading of the Passion of the Lord that we heard on Palm Sunday, we hear Jesus ask His Disciples, “Could you not keep watch for one hour?” (Mark 14:37). If Jesus were physically present, in front of you today, how might you answer this question? Where, or when, might you have given more of yourself to God, and failed to do so? At a minimum, as Catholics, we MUST attend Mass every weekend, to be considered a “practicing Catholic.” However, Jesus wants more; for Himself and for us! He wants to have a loving relationship with each of us. Yet, relationships take work! Relationships require the giving of one’s time, energy and focus to another; to have a fruitful and sustainable relationship. So, He asks, “Could you not keep watch

This week a white oak tree in Lakewood, Ohio, that was about two hundred years old was cut down because it was decaying. However, efforts are being made to keep it alive by grafting parts of it. We are all in favor of keeping things alive. When one of our plants is withering, we feed it fertilizer, water it, and maybe talk or sing to it in hopes of reviving it! We are saddened to hear about species going extinct. Our strongest instinct, humans and animals alike, is self-preservation. God too promotes life. God brings babies into the world every day. Scripture says he is God of the living, not the dead. God went to extreme lengths to preserve our eternal life. During Holy Week we ponder the mystery of Jesus undergoing an excruciating death just so we could live forever with him. On Easter we celebrate that he burst forth from his tomb with new, glorious life. His triumph is our triumph too, for it means that we can trust his promise of new life for us. Someday after we die, we too wil

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE WASHING OF FEET CLICK HERE

Hi there, ya'll!  The modest fashion world is one very diverse place.  Even among Catholics, the definition of "modest apparel" can vary greatly from person to person.  Recently I joined a Facebook group that advertised itself as a haven for Catholic women of all ages to share ideas for modest style and makeup and was hoping to learn more about modesty from my fellow Catholic sisters.  After a few days of being a member, though, I sadly left the group feeling a bit discouraged.  No two members seemed to agree on ANY aspect of modesty whatsoever, and the prevailing theme of the whole group was that modesty is subjective, it means something different for each woman and each woman gets to decide what she considers is "modest".  One woman very emphatically declared that she wears bikinis every summer to the beach and doesn't feel that this violates the virtue of modesty in the least.  The same woman also announced that she was never going to caution her d

The Passion Façade, on the exterior of the Basílica de la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain, is a unique portrayal of Christ’s passion. It is rugged and dramatic with a stark simplicity. The effect is powerful. continue reading