THE VALUE OF CHARITY or A MESSAGE FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT

As I empty the ice trays into the bin, I lament the fact that our ice maker does not work. How many minutes, adding up the hours, have been wasted unnecessarily in emptying and refilling ice trays? Or in efforts to not forget so we don't run out of ice? I think I could use those wasted minutes on so many more important endeavors, if only the ice maker worked.

Then a thought popped into my head. I believe the Holy Spirit takes moments like this to remind me of my blessings. At church last weekend there was a plea for a clean water project in Tanzania. So, we donated something. My belief at the time was that the African women who had to walk far for clean water were keeping fit and probably had little else of value to spend their time on. Wrong! It also didn't occur to me then that they never have ice.

The thought that rolled around in my head this morning was a simple story. Here it is:

Abiria sat the heavy water jug on the ground and lifted her foot. How had she managed to step on a rock so sharp that it caused pain through her heavy callouses? She rubbed at the indentation in the heel of her foot before setting her foot back on the ground. She needed to hurry. No time to sit and rest. Dust from the road blew around her bare feet covering her black skin and making it look gray to her knees. The blowing dust also obscured her view of the roadbed. That's how she must have missed seeing the rock that caused her problem.
 
She hefted the water jug back up to her shoulder and onto her head. Looking straight ahead she kept it carefully balanced as she picked up her pace. She was tired, but her garden was at risk whenever she was away. Her elderly mother watched the smallest of her children while the older ones tended their small goat herd. No one tended the garden except Abiria.

It was two miles from her Tanzanian village to a source of fresh water. The trip there was easy, it was the trip back that was difficult. The water jug was heavy, but she carried as much as she could. It needed to last her family for an entire day. The the trip would be repeated tomorrow morning and every morning thereafter...all before the sun grew too hot.

As she topped the rise and looked down on her hut, she screamed. Yelling and hollering, she tried to run, but her weary legs rebelled. A neighbor's cow had broken through her brush fence and was eating the meager things she'd managed to grow. As she yelled, a neighbor looked up from her own patch of greens and ran to Abiria's garden. She struggled to chase the cow from the garden, but was unsuccessful until Abiria arrived. Placing her water jug on the ground, she picked up a switch and began beating the cow until it finally ran away.

She turned to inspect the damage when her neighbor, began to yell, "Abiria! Oh no, Abiria!"

Turning toward the neighbor she saw her precious water seeping into the ground. The cow had knocked over the vessel. The neighbor grabbed and righted it, but too late. The tall jug was cracked and would no longer hold water.

Abiria sat down and began to cry. She'd have to make another trip for water in the hot sun, and how would she carry the water?

This story simply leaped into my mind this morning. Could it be true? The Holy Spirit knows, I don't. But, I do realize that mothers in Tanzania do have better things to do with their time than walk miles for water.

If this thought touches you too, contributions for wells to provide villages with clean water on site can be made to:

 St. Maurus Hanga Abbey,

c/o St. Pius X Church,

4880 Bristol Ave, Klamath Falls, OR  97603. 

541-591-5977. 

cleanwater@piusxkf.com,

www.hangaabbey.org

Blog:  http://hanganews.blogspot.com

 

Peace and Blessings,

Gail

 

Pray for an End to Abortion

My husband and I are praying and fasting daily over the next 40 days for an end to abortion. Please visit the site below if you haven't already. Watch all of David Bereit's video. He has some wonderful things to say and an excellent story to tell.

 http://www.40daysforlife.com/

For those who are not familiar with fasting... In our case, we eat two small meals and one normal meal a day. No in between snacks. Hubby has also given up coffee, which I don't drink. I've given up my daily glass of sweet iced tea. We say our normal prayer before dinner, but after dinner we pray the Rosary for an end to abortion before turning on the TV or doing anything else.

 

I hope to begin more posts on this site as soon as the editing and revising of my novel, Cast Me Not Away, is published. Hopefully before Christmas! I will announce the publication of this pro-life novel as soon as publisher, Cape Arago Press, releases it. It's my first publication as author, Zara Heritage.
 

Peace and Blessings to you. Pray daily for an end to abortion. Babies deserve a choice and their choice is to live.

Love,
Gail

FOR GREATER GLORY: The True Story of Cristeros

Just saw this review and want to see the movie as soon as it comes to our city. Thought I'd share this with others who may not have heard about it. Mexico's struggle for freedom of faith.

Click > MOVIE REVIEW < Click.

Peace & Blessings.

SACRAMENTALS: SCAPULARS

Image of Mary with a brown scapular
and rosary appearing to St. Simon Stock.

A few weeks ago my husband began to tell me about scapulars. For some reason they were not covered in my RCIA class (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults). He was raised Catholic, and left the church in his 20’s returning when I joined in 2010. Until he started discussing scapulars with me, and we investigated them further, I knew nothing about them.

Like so many Catholic acts of faith, many Protestants consider them a superstition. Scott Hahn addresses this much better than I can in his book, “Signs of Life.” As a former successful Presbyterian minister, now Catholic, he has this to say about things considered sacramental by the Catholic Church. “It is any object set apart and blessed by the Church to lead us to good thoughts and increase our devotion. A sacramental is like a sacrament in that it is a means of grace and an outward sign of an invisible mystery of faith. It is also unlike a sacrament in many ways. Sacraments were instituted by Christ, while sacramentals are established by the Church. Sacraments convey grace directly in our souls, while sacramentals do so indirectly, by leading us to devotion and providing us an occasion when we may respond to God’s grace.”

Sacramental scapulars originated with the Benedictines and were later adopted by other religious communities to be worn over their habits. They began as a chest-wide piece of cloth worn shoulder to shoulder, draping down the front and back of a person with an opening for the head. Thought to have first been intended as aprons when working, they are now accepted as a dedication to works. Some Catholic orders, such as the Trappists, still make the full scapular part of their habit.

There is more to scapular history than I’m going to include here. You can search it out if you wish. Eventually, lay persons adopted a smaller version of the scapular like the ones available to us today. They are two small pieces of cloth, often wool, joined by two strings that pass over the shoulders. A scapular is worn under the clothing as a mark of membership in a confraternity of others who accept certain rules and regulations for that group. There are 18 scapulars approved by the Catholic Church.

Since becoming Catholic I’ve found myself blessed with a special love for our Savior’s mother, given to us as our mother too. Perhaps it’s this joy that influenced my husband to suggest we join the confraternity of the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It is also one of the most popular. According to tradition, Our Blessed Mother Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock in Cambridge, England on July 16, 1251. She told him, "Take, beloved son, this scapular of thy order as a badge of my confraternity and for thee and all Carmelites a special sign of grace; whoever dies in this garment, will not suffer everlasting fire. It is the sign of salvation, a safeguard in dangers, a pledge of peace and of the covenant."

A scapular is an ever-present reminder to keep our lives holy. My brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and my husband's, were invested by our priest with the following prayers.

Procedure for the Blessing and Investiture

Of the Scapular of

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Priest - Show us, O Lord, Thy mercy.

Respondent- And grant us Thy salvation.
Priest - Lord, hear my prayer.
Respondent - And let my cry come unto Thee.
Priest - The Lord be with you.
Respondent - And also with you.

Priest - Lord Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, sanctify by Thy power these scapulars, which for love of Thee and for love of Our lady of Mount Carmel, Thy servants will wear devoutly, so that through the intercession of the same Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and protected against the evil spirit, they persevere until death in Thy grace. Thou who lives and reigns world without end.  Amen.

THE PRIEST SPRINKLES HOLY WATER AND INVESTS PERSON(S) WHILE SAYING:

Receive this blessed Scapular and beseech the Blessed Virgin that through Her merits, you may  wear it without stain. May it defend you against all adversity and accompany you to eternal life. Amen.

AFTER THE INVESTITURE THE PRIEST CONTINUES WITH THE PRAYERS:

I, by the power vested in me, admit you to participate in all the spiritual benefits obtained through the mercy of Jesus Christ by the Religious Order of Mount Carmel.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
 

May God Almighty, the Creator of Heaven and earth, bless you, He who has deigned to join you to the confraternity of the Blessed Virgin Of Mount Carmel; we beseech Her to crush the head of the ancient serpent so that you my enter into possession of your eternal heritage, through Christ our Lord.

Respondent - Amen.

My own Brown Scapular

The Catholic Church doesn’t teach that wearing a scapular is a sure ticket to Heaven. We must strive for a state of grace, implore our Lord's forgiveness and trust in the maternal aid of our Blessed Mother. These are all positive acts to be employed by anyone who wears a scapular in sincerity.

Here is a quote taken from fisheaters.com : “Some falsely believe that wearing the Brown Scapular offers some sort of guarantee of salvation because of the legendary words attributed to Our Lady. This is against Church teaching, is superstitious and a grave error. Sacramentals are not magical ways to manipulate God; they are Church-instituted rituals/objects that remind us of what we are supposed to be doing/thinking of, that depend on the faith, hope and love of the user, and which help prepare us to receive God's saving grace. One must do more than ‘wear the scapular’; one must wear it worthily.”

The Catholic Encyclopedia lists 18 small scapulars approved by the Church and distinguished by color, symbolism and devotion. They are:

1.  The White Scapular of the Most Blessed Trinity (1193)

2.  The White Scapular of Our Lady of Ransom (1218)

3.  The Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (1251)

4.  The Black Scapular of the Seven Dolours of Mary (1255)

5.  The Blue Scapular of the Immaculate Conception

6.  The Red Scapular of the Most Precious Blood

7.  The Black Scapular of the Passion (1720)

8.  The Red Scapular of the Passion (1846)

9.  The Black Scapular of Help of the Sick (1860)

10. The White Scapular of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (1877)

11. The Blue and Black Scapular of St. Michael the Archangel (1880)

12. The Scapular of St. Benedict (1882)

13. The Scapular of the Holy Face (1885)

14. The White Scapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel (1893)

15. The White Scapular of St. Joseph (1898)

16. The White Scapular of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (1900)

17. The Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (1901)

18. The White Scapular of St. Dominic (1903)

Other Resources:

CatholicCulture.org

Free Brown Scapular
Fish Eaters

 

Peace & Blessings.

On the Rosary

Rose-colored Rosary

When I first became Catholic, praying the Rosary seemed like a chore. It wasn’t something I looked forward to and had no desire to pray it every day. However, along came Forty Days For Life and my husband suggested we pray a Rosary everyday in support of  those praying outside abortion clinics and for an end to abortion. Here is a link to their home page:  40 Days for Life  

After Lent, and the end of those first 40 days, we began only praying the Rosary occasionally, not daily. However, over time we realized that we enjoyed praying the Rosary. And, if we prayed the Rosary before going to bed, we immediately went to sleep and slept soundly. It seemed to banish sleeplessness.

The Piata in The Grotto, Portland, Oregon

Last year, we decided to begin praying the Rosary daily. Now I look forward to it and occasionally pray it alone too. It brings comfort and peace. No longer does it seem that it’s going to take a long time to finish it. Instead, the Rosary seems to end so quickly. This, in spite of the fact we have added our special intentions, increasing its length.

As a former Protestant I had no idea why Catholics prayed the rosary and knew very little about it. Interesting enough, my first introduction to the roasary came from an Episcopal priest. He mentioned the traditional, or Catholic, rosary, but also spoke of the Anglican Rosary which is unfamiliar to many people. Rather than sets of ten beads, decades, it has sets of seven beads known as weeks. It also has four sets instead of the traditional five. The four groups of seven plus the other beads total thirty-three...the age at which Jesus died. When praying it, many Anglicans say prayers to Jesus rather than to Mary.

My Rosary from The Grotto

Odd, since the word Rosary is for Mary, the Mystical Rose, Rich in Mercy Rose Ever Blooming. Roses are the queen of flowers as Mary is Queen of Heaven. They also represent beauty and love, also representative of Mary.

Mystical Rose

“Our Lady of the rosary is Our Lady of the roses, because the flowers are the symbols of greeting offered to the Mother of God. We greet her with spiritual flowers [through the Rosary].”  If you want to know more, the quote above was taken from: The Rose, A Marian Symbol 

I believe that even in the late 1980’s, I was being led to the Catholic Church.  My husband and I made a trip to tour The Grotto in Portland, Oregon.  It was beautiful and, although I saw it through Protestant eyes, it was moving. I hope to return there someday to view it as a Catholic.  The Grotto, Portland, Oregon

Photo taken in Gardens at The Grotto

In The Grotto gift shop my eye caught sight of lovely Rosaries. One in particular seemed to speak to me and I bought it. I’ve had this Rosary 25 years and recently noticed that it has Italy stamped on the back of the crucifix. (There’s a potential post topic…the choice of a crucifix over the simple cross).

Although we have others, this blue Rosary from The Grotto is very dear to me. I recently handed it to a woman in the pew behind me who was asked to lead a decade of the Rosary before Mass and couldn’t find hers. Later, she told me it warmed her and she felt a mystical holiness from it. This woman is preparing to join a convent and will be a nun. I treasure her observation.

You can pray the Rosary without Rosary beads, however, they make it easier than counting on your fingers. As I ease my way through my smooth, cool Rosary beads, they slide past my fingertips one bead at a time, and I feel love, peace, blessings and joy encompass me.  

Peace & Blessings!

On Becoming Catholic

Protestants (Protestors). I didn’t even know I was protesting.

As a teen, my spiritual journey led me to the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod. Then at age 39 to the Episcopal Church for over two decades. Although we were married in the Episcopal Church, my husband and I were disappointed in the direction the national Episcopal Church was headed. We went to visit Father Karl Schray at Holy Redeemer Catholic Parish in North Bend, Oregon and immediately realized that’s where we both belonged. 

I realize now that my lifelong path has brought me ever closer to God the Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth, to Jesus Christ, his only Son, and to the Holy Spirit. I’m very blessed and full of joy at finding the one true, universal church. I wish all Protestants would be able to return to the full richness of Catholicism. 

My spouse says, “why settle for a thin broth when you can have a hearty rich stew?” There may be salvation for Protestant Christians, but there is so much more available to us by following the paths of the great Saints. I am only just now beginning to learn from them.

Peace & Blessings until next time.