Get your butts in gear...

don't look at me...the priest said it. ;0p Daily Mass on Friday, October 13th was the nice filling in our incredible faith sandwich over the last few days. Let's start at the beginning...

We were blessed to be invited to the Chimbote, Peru dinner this year by a dear woman at our parish. It was funny because she only asked that a family come and we were the "the first people who popped into" the head of the person tasked to find said family. What a wonderful gift!

We spent some of our school day on Thursday finding out about the Pittsburgh Mission in Chimbote. Three amazing priests from the Diocese of Pittsburgh traveled as missionaries in the mid-60's to begin the bridge between Pittsburgh and Peru! Since then, the face of God has shown on the local people through home visits and a healthcare center. We were amazed to hear the stories of the two nuns from Grand Rapids who have spent a combined 105 years (!) caring for the Chimbote people.

The local Catholic schools fund raise for the mission and some of them had displays before the dinner that showed what they've done to raise money. Very informative and creative. Very moving to see so many people reaching out to help the poorest of the poor. Faith in action!

They clean up nice, non?

I'm pleased to say no one had a major spill

and they all stayed awake! Success!

It was a long night so I was grateful that Friday was different around here. Normally we're scrambling to finish all the week-end tests before heading out to St. Vincent for our Friday afternoon classes. All of that still happened. It just happened without us.

If you missed it, Friday, October 13th, was the 100th anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun in Fatima, Portugal. The final apparition of Our Lady to the three children after six monthly visits. You already know the 13th (and especially Friday the 13th) is a big day around here (3 birthdays, two of them on Friday) but, wow, can you imagine a better thing than celebrating the century anniversary of Our Lady's visit?

We watched along with the children's holy hour in Washington, D.C. before heading out to Mass at noon. It was a wonderful break in the day, one of our friends was lector, and Father pointed out that the readings really didn't need to be changed to accommodate the celebration.

The first reading from Joel:

Gird yourselves and weep, O priests!
wail, O ministers of the altar!
Come, spend the night in sackcloth,
O ministers of my God!
The house of your God is deprived
of offering and libation.
Proclaim a fast,
call an assembly;
Gather the elders,
all who dwell in the land,
Into the house of the LORD, your God,
and cry to the LORD!

The responsorial psalm: "The Lord will judge the world with justice" 

The general Message of Fatima is not complicated. Its requests are for prayer, reparation, repentance, and sacrifice, and the abandonment of sin. Before Our Lady appeared to the three shepherd children, Lucy, Francisco and Jacinta, the Angel of Peace visited them. The Angel prepared the children to receive the Blessed Virgin Mary, and his instructions are an important aspect of the Message that is often overlooked.
The Angel demonstrated to the children the fervent, attentive, and composed manner in which we should all pray, and the reverence we should show toward God in prayer. He also explained to them the great importance of praying and making sacrifices in reparation for the offenses committed against God. He told them: “Make of everything you can a sacrifice and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication, for the conversion of sinners.”

Are you sensing the "get your butts in gear" message might be the perfect, if coarse, for this exact occasion...from Joel to the Angel to Our Lady...the time has come for us to pray and be reverent, repent and sacrifice. We can wait no longer.

We went home and prayed another rosary. This one was a side benefit of the "cancel everything" day we were having.

#1 is part of the Spiritual Life Group through one of her online class providers. Every Friday they pray the rosary and those involved take turns leading the decades. She was not running to class this week so she got to lead two decades...much to the chagrin of her sibs who had to "hide" every time she went on camera. Lol.

When they were not hiding ;0)

Friday evening was a much anticipated event. Our dear bishop would consecrate the entire diocese to Our Lady and we would all process by candlelight while reciting one last rosary. It was an amazing night, full of friends and faith and Our Lady. How blessed we were to participate.

The sunset was magnificent!

Our seminarian was MC! And #2 got to carry Skiff !

The two ladies on the right?? The nuns who have worked for 50+ years at the Chimbote misson!

#1 and I were blessed to be part of the walking rosary. She was one of the tallest so she got the Crucifix. #4 carried one of the candles that lit the way for the rosary but, worst.mom.ever. didn't see which bead she was lighting.  It was dark but we were all praying the rosary ;0( I did find her right after!

The estimate was 700 people! It was amazing!!!

At the end of the night, they had the little ones release 100 balloons up to the sky. What a beautiful sight...like our prayers rising to Heaven.

We're tired now but the weekend gave us a wonderful reminder of what is important. Will we cancel all tests and far-away classes? No, we won't. If such occasions again come before us, however, we will not hesitate to make them top priority. We don't succeed every hour of every day but I do believe we are moving toward our goal of always having God at the center of our lives. It's difficult. There are sports and activities and lots and lots of opportunities. Family meals and time together, family prayer, learning about our faith, and just being sorry for our failings and always remembering...we are blessed.

Our Lady, Conceived Without Sin, Pray for Us!

Today is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. It's one of those special days around here. Three years ago, our family attended Mass together, I remembered #1 served, then after Mass I knelt before the Tabernacle while our pastor conferred to me the investiture of the Blue Scapular of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

Investiture with the Blue Scapular

Celebrant: Lord Jesus, You chose to share our human nature. We humbly ask You to bless this scapular made in honor of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. Grant that those who are clothed in it lend themselves to moral renewal among people. And may this, Your servant, invested with the scapular, through the intersession of the Virgin Mary Immaculately Conceived also deserve to be clothed in You, who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

The celebrant sprinkles the scapular with holy water and places it over the shoulders of the recipient, saying: Sister, receive the Blue Scapular, from now on a sign of your belonging in the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, that by her help you may divest yourself of “the old man.” May God grant that you may wear it cleansed of every sin and free of all stain, and thus pass into eternal life. Amen.

My protector...not sure if she comes out when I exercise so that she may shield me or to extend blessings to all those who pass by. Probably both :0)

It seems, as is proper, that the Holy Spirit is around for all the little and big things in life...to guide me as I walk, often losing my way. As a woman, wife and mother, though, Our Lady has a special place in my life. She points the way always to her Son and she helps me to hear when the Spirit is only a whisper. How blessed we are to have such a loving Mother in heaven!

This morning I attended Mass alone but was surrounded by others who had come for many different reasons, I'm sure. How blessed we all were to participate, as is custom here on Saturday, in the novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

"O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee."

She's not done! Is Mary ever done being kind and helpful to us? This coming week ends with the 100th (!!!) anniversary of the Miracle at Fatima. Three young shepherds who were visited by the Blessed Mother as she entrusted to them messages from heaven. One of the simplest and most powerful is to pray the rosary daily for peace. Let's all pledge to pray at least one rosary every day between now and Friday, to show our love for this most gracious of all mothers. She who leads us always, happily, to her Son.

Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!