Holy Week

It is fast approaching Holy Week, Lent is almost over. Palm Sunday is, well, on Sunday. I am always surprised how fast Lent goes by. At this point in Lent, I have messed up on my Lenten sacrifices (at least twice), with God's grace have started over, and am wondering why I did not do more to make a change in my heart, trying to remember what I gave up and why. I wanted to make more room in my heart and life for Jesus. Really I want to give Him all of it, not hold back any parts, no sins or areas where I say "No",only "Yes". I say to myself, "This year is really going to make a difference(and it does) but I am always wishing I would have done a little more and done what I did do with a little more charity. So here are some ideas for this last week of lent:

• Ask God to give us the grace to finish the fast, we know how weak we are, we know we need Him more!
• Lets all try to attend the Triduum this year. When we put our hearts into the mass God gives us so much more back.
• If you have not made a good confession this Lenten season do it now, if you have, consider doing it again.
• Prepare to start a Divine Mercy Novena, the Feast of Mercy is the Sunday after Easter. For more info: http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/novena.htm
• If you have not done anything for Lent this year talk to God about it, ask Him what He wants, Ask Him for special Graces, He is the prodigal's Sons' Father, the Good Shepherd, always waiting and looking for us to come Home, ready to give us the Fatted Calf and a party!

Your love, Oh Lord, is better than life!,

Lord, let this always be in our hearts and minds as we seek to do your will!

Eternal Wisdom

March 2 was the feast day of St. Henry Suso who lived in the 1300's. In a book called "Voices of the Saints" which was given to us by our good friend Ranell Curl (who is not a Catholic) I read the following excerpt:

Eternal Wisdom: When I hide myself, only then do you become aware of who I am or who you are. I am eternal Good, and so when I pour myself forth so lovingly, everything I enter becomes good. One can thus detect my presence as one detects the sun by its brightness since one cannot see its essence.

Servant: Lord, I find within myself a great unevenness. When I feel forsaken, my soul is like a sick person to whom everything is repugnant. But when the bright morning star bursts forth in my soul, all gloom disappears. Quickly, however, it is all snatched away and I am again forsaken. But then after intense sadness it returns. What is going on?

Eternal Wisdom: I am causing it, and it is the game of love. As long as love is together with love, love does not know how dear love is. But when love departs from love, then truly love feels how dear love was.

Servant: Dear Lord, teach me how to conduct myself in this game.

Eternal Wisdom: On good days you should consider the bad days, and on the bad days consider the good days. Then neither the exuberance at my presence nor despondency can harm you. To find joy on earth, it is not enough that you give a certain period of the day. You must constantly remain within yourself if you want to find God, hear his familiar words and be sensitive to his secret thoughts.

St. Henry Suso wrote a book on prayer called "The Little Book of Eternal Wisdom" which is where this quote came from. Some think of saints as people who were perfect, but they were not, they loved God passionately and tried to say "Yes" to His will in all things, and they humbled themselves before Him when they failed. We can all be saints, we are all called to be saints. Let us seek to Love God more and more each day.

Watching and Waiting for what's next....

Well things have been pretty nice here in Kansas City, Mo. We are staying with Lora's parents and we have really been enjoying ourselves. We are praying about how long we are to stay here, where we want to have the baby, when are we going to Louisiana, what is God's will for us during our stay. I am working on some repairs on their house and am trying to learn how to balance a lifestyle of "working and providing"with a life with a more prayerfull routine, waiting and watching to see what God is asking next.

We have been greatly blessed to be able to go to Mass almost everyday. We are meeting tons of really nice people. One of whom after hearing our plans gave us $100.00 for our mission work the next time he saw us! Praise God!

We have had ice, snow, even a little rain. Now it seems to be trying to become spring, frost in the morning and sunshine during the day. I have managed to get stuck in the van trying to get a load of fire wood. This weather allows just enough frost to make the ground appear hard and just enough sunshine to make it muddy. But yesterday I found some other fire wood and did have to cut it to load it, it was beside the road. The van broke down before that but it turned out to be an easy fix with minor expenses that were mostly caused by my impatience and the use of starter fluid.

We are trying to go to Louisiana this Friday to visit and possibly leave our camper down there. Since we have found such a nice midwife, who is really working with us and Lora's parents are here we will probably only spend a week down there and come back here to Kansas City to have the baby. Also later this month Lora's Dad will probably have to have a kidney removed.

We are asking for prayers for God's guidance, His provision, a safe trip, and especially that Lora's Dad will be healed. God's will be done.