Good Morning, LORD!
Thank You for another day, even though it sort of got started at midnight. Gee, thank You that I ate that horky rice at supper-time, and my stomach got feeling kind of sick. Thank You that I have a stomach that can feel sick. Thank You that I have got a couple of knees that hurt - I offer that up to You for other people who have got sore knees, like that older lady who walked by our home yesterday, and that younger girl with the walker.
Gee, LORD, did You know I love You today? I do, I love You. Thank You for every single Miracle, Prayer and Blessing that You have showered upon us. Thank You for every friend, past, present or future. Thank You for freedom. May Your Holy Heart be ever Blessed, You who love us so! Thank You for every Blessing that we don't even know is Your Blessing for us! Thank You that I'm feeling better now, and can go back to bed for a while. Thank You for sending that sweet breeze to help me sleep.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and enkindle in them the Fire of Your Love. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created, and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. (Let us pray) - O God, Who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the Light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise, and ever to rejoice in His Consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
O Holy Spirit, Soul of our souls, we adore You. Enlighten, guide, strengthen and console us. Tell us what we ought to do and command us to do it. We promise to be submissive in everything YOU permit to happen to us, only show us what is Your Will. Amen.
O my Sweet LORD, thank You that we are Your children. Please help us to do Your Will today. Amen. =) See this smile, Lord? You put it there... X0X0X0X0X0.
The LORD give you Peace!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Thanksgiving Dinner
Hi Everybody :)
Well, we have all survived Thanksgiving Dinner. We cooked a great dinner which everybody enjoyed - lamb, chicken, with accompanying gravies (yum!), whipped potatoes, yams, rice, peas and carrots, cheese; for dessert, we sampled some delicious Bakhlava, (hmm.. have to check the spelling), another fantastic delicacy with an unpronounceable name, which was in essence deep-fried Rosewater goodies, Nanaimo bars, apple pie with ice cream, plus pumpkin pie topped with real whipped cream. Wine for those who wished, and water or a soft-drink for those who didn't wish, hee hee.
God is so Good. We prayed Grace before meals together.
The LORD give you Peace!
Well, we have all survived Thanksgiving Dinner. We cooked a great dinner which everybody enjoyed - lamb, chicken, with accompanying gravies (yum!), whipped potatoes, yams, rice, peas and carrots, cheese; for dessert, we sampled some delicious Bakhlava, (hmm.. have to check the spelling), another fantastic delicacy with an unpronounceable name, which was in essence deep-fried Rosewater goodies, Nanaimo bars, apple pie with ice cream, plus pumpkin pie topped with real whipped cream. Wine for those who wished, and water or a soft-drink for those who didn't wish, hee hee.
God is so Good. We prayed Grace before meals together.
The LORD give you Peace!
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Monday, October 1, 2007
Feast of Ste. Theresa, the Little Flower
Happy Feast of Ste. Theresa of Lisieux, Everybody!
Ste. Theresa died when she was only 24 years old, having entered the Carmel (monastery) when she was 15. She decided to offer every single action, big or small, as a prayer. This is now called her "Little Way." She stated before her holy death, "I want to spend my Heaven doing good upon the earth."
When you pray a Novena to Ste Theresa, usually on the first day, she will send you a rose or two. You may get a card, a bunch of address labels, a silk rose, a real rose, a plastic rose, a bunch of roses in a vase, a picture of a rose, or you will suddenly notice a rose on a signboard, See? The common thing here is.....Roses.
Here is a 5-day Novena to ask Ste. Theresa for something. Every day say this prayer: "O little Ste. Theresa, please pick for me a rose from the Heavenly Gardens and send it to me with a message of love. O Little Flower, please ask God today to grant the favour(s) we thee implore and please tell Him we will love Him each day more and more." Then say your petition; after which you pray (5) Our Fathers, (5) Hail Mary's, and (5) Glory Be's, each day for 5 days. On the 5th day, offer one more set of (5) before 11:00am. Wait and see what happens.
Back in the '90's a friend of mine began praying this Novena to Ste. Theresa. Then she went out for lunch at a restaurant near where she worked in Kemptville. As soon as she walked through the door, she noticed that every single table had a vase with roses in it! This had never happened before. And Ste. Theresa answered her prayers too.
My husband and I have asked for confirmations of different items over the years we have known each other. As a matter of fact, while we were dating, we each prayed a separate Novena to Ste. Theresa to see if we should marry one another. Our Novenas were answered.
Ste. Theresa, like all the Saints, has got a sense of humour. On the last day of his Novena, my beloved complained, "Ste. Theresa didn't answer my Novena! I asked her for a blue rose and she didn't send me one!"...upon which I showed him the back of my music binder, whereon was painted a blue rose. Ste. Theresa did answer his Novena after all. :)
So please don't just take my word for it. Try it yourself.
The LORD give you Peace!
Franciscan Prayer for Discernment
Almighty God and Our LORD Jesus Christ, we pray You enlighten us and dispel the darkness of our spirits; give us a faith that is without limit, a hope that is ever unfailing and a love that is universal. Grant, O our God, that we may really know You and that we may be guided in all things according to Your Light and in conformity to Your Holy Will. Amen.
The LORD give you Peace.
The LORD give you Peace.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Living Rosary
Our Franciscan fraternity, St. Francis of Assisi Fraternity in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada http://stfrancisofassisifraternity.blogspot.com/
has begun a Living Rosary to pray for intentions. We have chosen to pray the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. If you have any intentions you wish us to pray for, just go to the fraternity blog.
The LORD give you Peace!
has begun a Living Rosary to pray for intentions. We have chosen to pray the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. If you have any intentions you wish us to pray for, just go to the fraternity blog.
The LORD give you Peace!
The Baptism of Jesus
This is a copy of a painting I did based on the following quote from the Gospel of St. Mark 1:9-11"...In those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as He was coming up out of the water, he saw the Heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on Him. And a Voice came from Heaven, "You are My Son, the Beloved; with You I Am well pleased."
The original painting is acrylic on canvas.
The LORD give you Peace.
Franciscan Prayer for Joy
LORD, our efforts to make ourselves happy have yielded much unhappiness.
Our anxiety about our tomorrows steals the pleasures from our todays, and our anger towards our neighbour strangles our hearts. Please, release us from our preoccupation with ourselves and all our troubles, and begin filling us with Your indescribable JOY. Thank You! Amen.
The LORD give you Peace.
Our anxiety about our tomorrows steals the pleasures from our todays, and our anger towards our neighbour strangles our hearts. Please, release us from our preoccupation with ourselves and all our troubles, and begin filling us with Your indescribable JOY. Thank You! Amen.
The LORD give you Peace.
Franciscan Prayer to Mary
My Queen, my Mother:
I give myself entirely to thee, and to show my devotion to thee, I consecrate to thee this day: my
eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, my whole being without reserve. Wherefore, good Mother, as I am thine own, keep me and guard me as thy property and possession. Amen.
The LORD give you Peace.
I give myself entirely to thee, and to show my devotion to thee, I consecrate to thee this day: my
eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, my whole being without reserve. Wherefore, good Mother, as I am thine own, keep me and guard me as thy property and possession. Amen.
The LORD give you Peace.
Franciscan Morning Prayer
Jesus, LORD, we offer You this new day because we believe in You, love You, hope all things in You, and thank You for Your Blessings (and Miracles). We are sorry for having offended You and forgive everyone who has offended us. LORD, look on us and leave in us peace and courage and Your Humble Wisdom, that we may serve others with joy and be pleasing to You all day. Amen.
The LORD give you Peace.
The LORD give you Peace.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Happy Tuesday, Everybody
Hee hee :)
What a beautiful day it's been! Sunshine, leaves changing colours, some peace and quiet, in between Stripe & Buttercup, (our dogs) coming to tell me there are squirrels outside!! I've just finished checking some e-mail correspondence, but it's just been a great day to sit quietly, do some crocheting, dream and pray.
When I was walking home from Mass this morning, I watched a squirrel. He picked up a maple leaf, turning it over and over in his paws (almost like tiny hands), then tried nibbling it. As I walked nearer, he took the leaf in his mouth, and bounded a little farther away; he sat down again, turning his leaf-treasure over and over. I said, "what have you got there?" upon which he put the leaf in his mouth and gracefully bounded away.
Before we moved to Renfrew, very rarely did I stop to watch God's creatures. I was always too busy, and really didn't know how one went about "watching nature." There was always traffic to be careful of, and a zillion things to think about.
St. Joseph, thank you for our new home :)
The LORD give you Peace.
What a beautiful day it's been! Sunshine, leaves changing colours, some peace and quiet, in between Stripe & Buttercup, (our dogs) coming to tell me there are squirrels outside!! I've just finished checking some e-mail correspondence, but it's just been a great day to sit quietly, do some crocheting, dream and pray.
When I was walking home from Mass this morning, I watched a squirrel. He picked up a maple leaf, turning it over and over in his paws (almost like tiny hands), then tried nibbling it. As I walked nearer, he took the leaf in his mouth, and bounded a little farther away; he sat down again, turning his leaf-treasure over and over. I said, "what have you got there?" upon which he put the leaf in his mouth and gracefully bounded away.
Before we moved to Renfrew, very rarely did I stop to watch God's creatures. I was always too busy, and really didn't know how one went about "watching nature." There was always traffic to be careful of, and a zillion things to think about.
St. Joseph, thank you for our new home :)
The LORD give you Peace.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Late night-long day
Happy Thursday, Everybody!
...I have just discovered if you go look at stuff, then come back to your post - poof and aargh! it's gone and you have to begin anew.
...Yup, definitely a long day today. It'll still be Thursday for another 17 minutes or so.
...Friday, September 21st is the Feast of St. Matthew, and Pembroke Diocese is going to be receiving a brand-new Bishop - Bishop Michael Mulhall. God Willing, we are going to St.Columbkille's Cathedral in Pembroke in the morning to watch his ordination and installation as our new Bishop. It will be the first time my husband and I will have seen this.
...My husband got up at his usual time this morning, about 4:20am. He usually makes a pot of coffee, then begins his day with prayer (& coffee). Today I actually got up around 5:10am, and joined him for prayer, after our usual hug &kiss & blessing with St.Joseph's Oil. This morning, we got to pray part of the Rosary together. Yay!
...After my husband left for his trek to the city (5:45am), I decided to start my work-day at home, too. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had at some unknown time worked on the PST which is due on the 23rd. So I worked on bookkeeping amidst breakfast which consisted of toasted, buttered home-made bread from yesterday, poached eggs and tea. Mmm, nutritious brekkie! [I know that you aren't supposed to work whilst eating, oops].
...As usual when I get busy, I lost track of time and looked up at the clock to see that it was 10:00am! Our shop opens at 10:30am. Now our shop, JMJ Gifts is in our home - which is a wonderful & fantastic dream-come-true for me.
...A very long time ago (well, actually only 6 1/2 years ago), when we went to PEI for our honeymoon, I had a wonderful vision of our own home, with a big sign hung over the fence "Rosaries and Handcrafts." We tried to do this in Pakenham, but of course, we didn't own our own home there, we only rented and it didn't work out. But one day in September 2005, when I walked down to the Mississippi River below the Five Arches bridge (Pakenham) to do some sketching, these words came to mind so I wrote them down: "Courage, My child - everything will be done for you by ME, your Loving Father." (I did the sketch in oil pastels and gave a copy to my husband Mike for our 5th anniversary). So we have waited and Our LORD has made it come to pass. Hurray for Our Loving Father!
...I have just discovered if you go look at stuff, then come back to your post - poof and aargh! it's gone and you have to begin anew.
...Yup, definitely a long day today. It'll still be Thursday for another 17 minutes or so.
...Friday, September 21st is the Feast of St. Matthew, and Pembroke Diocese is going to be receiving a brand-new Bishop - Bishop Michael Mulhall. God Willing, we are going to St.Columbkille's Cathedral in Pembroke in the morning to watch his ordination and installation as our new Bishop. It will be the first time my husband and I will have seen this.
...My husband got up at his usual time this morning, about 4:20am. He usually makes a pot of coffee, then begins his day with prayer (& coffee). Today I actually got up around 5:10am, and joined him for prayer, after our usual hug &kiss & blessing with St.Joseph's Oil. This morning, we got to pray part of the Rosary together. Yay!
...After my husband left for his trek to the city (5:45am), I decided to start my work-day at home, too. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had at some unknown time worked on the PST which is due on the 23rd. So I worked on bookkeeping amidst breakfast which consisted of toasted, buttered home-made bread from yesterday, poached eggs and tea. Mmm, nutritious brekkie! [I know that you aren't supposed to work whilst eating, oops].
...As usual when I get busy, I lost track of time and looked up at the clock to see that it was 10:00am! Our shop opens at 10:30am. Now our shop, JMJ Gifts is in our home - which is a wonderful & fantastic dream-come-true for me.
...A very long time ago (well, actually only 6 1/2 years ago), when we went to PEI for our honeymoon, I had a wonderful vision of our own home, with a big sign hung over the fence "Rosaries and Handcrafts." We tried to do this in Pakenham, but of course, we didn't own our own home there, we only rented and it didn't work out. But one day in September 2005, when I walked down to the Mississippi River below the Five Arches bridge (Pakenham) to do some sketching, these words came to mind so I wrote them down: "Courage, My child - everything will be done for you by ME, your Loving Father." (I did the sketch in oil pastels and gave a copy to my husband Mike for our 5th anniversary). So we have waited and Our LORD has made it come to pass. Hurray for Our Loving Father!
The LORD give you Peace!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Welcome to our blog!!!
Happy Feast of St. Joseph of Cupertino, Everybody!
Wow, this has been an experience...set up a blog, then try to get back to do some posts. It says you have to now sign in with a Google account? Great, we now have a Google account. Yay, we are back and can do some posts.
So, who are we? Well, "Franciscan-Knight-Rosary-making-retired- busy-self-employed -6 1/2 years married-Roman Catholic people" just about covers it. Sheesh, have I left anything out? We have 2 dogs and 3 doves and hope to give away 2 doves soon, as we have just moved into our first home.
We are professed members of St. Francis of Assisi Fraternity in Ottawa, Ontario, having made our profession on 14th June 2006 at St. Peter Celestine Parish in Pakenham, Ontario.
We began Our Lady of Peace Rosary Guild in order to make and send tons of Mission Rosaries to missionaries we serve in Africa, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, etc.
We prayed a Novena to Ste. Theresa of Lisieux to find out if we should marry one another, and she answered our Novena with roses in the colour(s) we asked for; so we married at St. Ignatius
Martyr Parish in Ottawa on June 9th, 2001.
Well, that's all for now, folks! I'm waiting for some dough to rise, so I can bake some "Heavenly Rolls" for our Rosary Guild meeting this coming Saturday.
The LORD give you peace!
Pax et Bonum
Two Secular Franciscans =)
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