Solemnity of the Sacred Heart

I could do 7 Quick Takes today, but that wouldn't cover the 12 Promises of Jesus...

... to those who consecrate themselves and make reparations to His Sacred Heart: 

• He will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
• He will establish peace in their homes.
• He will comfort them in all their afflictions.
• He will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
• He will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
• Sinners will find in His Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
• Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.
• Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
• He will bless every place in which an image of His Heart is exposed and honored.
• He will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
• Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in His Heart.
• In the excessive mercy of His Heart that His all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in His disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. His divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

The devotions attached to these promises are:

• Receiving Communion frequently
• First Fridays: going to Confession and receiving the Eucharist on the first Friday of each month for nine consecutive months. Many parishes will offer public First Friday devotions; if they do, you must perform First Fridays publicly. If it isn't so offered in your parish, you can do this privately, going to Confession, receiving the Eucharist, and offering your prayers for the intention of the Holy Father.
• Holy Hour: Eucharistic Adoration for one hour on Thursdays ("Could you not watch one hour with me?"). Holy Hour can be made alone or as part of a group with formal prayers.
• Celebrating of the Feast of the Sacred Heart (see below)

Note also that June is devoted to the Sacred Heart.

The Best Thing we ever did for our family.   

Controlling the Internet

I love the internet!  I offers limitless possibilities---education, fluff, friendship, keeping up with family and friends, useful information, useless information, movies, lots and lots of opportunities for sin, and more.  There are so many good, legitimate uses for the internet and its offspring, Social Media.

Lately, I've discovered that Social Media is one of the best ways that I stay in touch with God.  It helps me to "pray always" through the neverending prayer requests on Twitter, FB, and blogs.  Some of these people I know through the internet, and many I don't, but I take them into my heart and pray for them.  Maybe there is something about that that makes me less concerned with my own, minor, problems, and so I pray more on my own in thanksgiving for my blessings.

Unfortunately, it has become more clear to me than ever that it really interferes with my primary vocation.  I am so thankful that I did not have the internet or a smart phone when my children were little!  With all due respect to the holy vocation of motherhood, staying home with just littles can be a bit mind-numbing at times, and I, for one, would have been in front of the computer way too much!

Since the New Year, I've been trying to spend the first moments of the day at the kitchen table reading my Daily Catechism, some other spiritual reading, and a little journaling.  Very little. ;-)  I don't actually consider myself a writer; I just want to record what I was thinking, or better, what I was inspired by in that morning's reading.  But please don't be impressed, because I'm fairly sporadic, and since I'm reading the Catechism from my phone, I have to really fight (and often lose) the battle to check email at the same time!

On Wednesday I did my prayers, and had to go almost immediately to take Tom to school (it was Late Day), and when I got home I immediately sat down at the school table.  I practically never do that because I have to decompress after the morning traffic!  The whole day was jam-packed with productivity, and it was awesome.

Productivity plummeted the next day when I saw my Google Reader and there were so many blogs to catch up on!  I spent more time on Twitter and FB, and was trying all day to keep up with everything.   It wasn't a very good day.  It wasn't a very bad day, either, and I certainly understand that there are good days and very bad days whether one prays, or not,  but there was a level of franticness (is that even a word?)  and dissatisfaction all day that hadn't been there on Wednesday.

I also had (what I thought was) a good idea for a blog post, but it got lost in the mire of tweets and blog posts that I spent all day reading.  Not to mention that the time for blogging was sucked into that same black hole that is The Internet!  So, while there were a lot of extra prayers said for those who crossed my path online, there was also a lot of wasted time which St. Peter will probably ask me to account for when I meet him at the Pearly Gates!

This weekend I'll probably be found brutally pruning my online reading list.  :(  I ordered a bunch of books from the library, and bought one free on Kindle today, which is crazy when you consider the amount of time I have not been spending reading books in the past couple of months.  But it's time to remedy that.  I really want to be present in this life, not found reading my phone at any given moment.  Of course, the kids will still need to make sure they divert my attention from a book to them before telling me their important news, but at least my reading will be more satisfying!

Does anyone else have this problem?  I sort of long for the days of the Dumb Phone, but Verizon doesn't sell those anymore, and I do love my iPhone because it can handle so many chores for me,  but it's time to take back control!

In a Routine!

I'm really so happy to be back in a daily routine--- I operate so much better with structure to my day!  We're into our third week of school, even though some people just started and others haven't started at all yet.  I guess it's my personality.  I'm a  lazy Phlegmatic, frequently Melancholic, and a wishy-washy Choleric.  That doesn't sound very cheerful, does it?  But my husband seems to like me, and so do a few other people.  ;-)

It's the lazy side of me that loves summer vacation---who doesn't love relaxing in the A/C with a book, or relaxing by the side of the pool with a cold beverage and a book, or going on vacations, playing in the waves and sleeping on the beach?  I think I used to get to enjoy those things when my kids were little and summer rolled around.  Oh, honey, while you're slaving away at the office, I'll be at the pool chasing the kids around.  Don't envy me. ;-)  But it's not like that anymore with summertime activities and swim team.  The "schedule," if it exists, is chaotic at best.

The phlegmatic side of me really wants to be using all that free time during the summer to get some big projects accomplished, while my choleric-ness is happy to boss the kids around engage my young helpers in the tasks.  Somehow, the summer passes, the essential things get done, but not very cheerfully.  Ahem...Hello, Madame Melancholic.

Now that school, drama rehearsals, piano lessons, homeschool co-op, Boy Scouts,  and American Heritage Girls are in full swing, I can relax.  Not with bon-bons and a book, except on rare days, but I can function better because I know what the days hold.  Some days are pretty crazy, and others flow pretty smoothly because I don't have back-to-back appointments, or worse, have to bi-locate, but the basic structure is there.

Part of the problem with summer is that everyone is doing their own thing.  We all fall in to that trap of doing nothing, except for my dear husband who continues his routine of long days at the office without fail, and one of the things that falls by the wayside is family prayer time.  We're fairly sporadic about our evening prayer during the summer, and I'm sad to say we almost never pray on vacations.

In my heart, I know that there is a certain structure that would solve all of this:  prayer.  It's really past time (ha!) for me to set my alarm on my phone to remind me to prayers.  All these years with the kids I've tried to get in the habit of praying the Angelus, or the Divine Mercy chaplet, daily, but have failed. I tend to structure my days around school, appointments, and dinner, but I'm pretty sure there is a better way.

For me, I know that making my home like the proverbial Domestic Monastery would help.  What about you?

Do you structure your prayer life?  What makes your days run smoothly?  I'd love to know what tools others use to get through the days!

Call Me Mary

FOR TODAY


How many of you saw that title and thought, "Call me, maybe"?  You can thank me for that earworm later.

Outside my window...Mostly clear.  Gonna be another hot one.  I think we're moving up to the high 90's.

I am thinking...About the amazing day I had yesterday.  It was truly a blessed day which started with the early Mass at 7:30.  That's the No Music Mass for the older folks who want to get in and out, but the visiting celebrant chanted most of the Mass and we were able to pray without being distracted by inappropriate music.  As much as I love to sing, I could get used to that.


Later, I joined my little group at the parish for an episode of Catholicism on the liturgy, which was awe-inspiring as usual.  I can't say enough good things about this series which beautifully portrays the Catholic Church.  It's beautiful, it's thought provoking, and it hits the highlights (so to speak) of the Church.  I can't wait for the book to arrive so I can read it!

Immediately after our discussion, I had an invitation to Maria Johnson's home for a gathering of incredible women.  (I don't think I have the appropriate vocabulary to describe the day I had yesterday!  Look for lots of superlatives!! But I'll try to control myself.) Pat Gohn, Sarah Vabulous, and Jennifer Willits were there!  Kelly Wahlquist and a couple of other ladies who were part of the Hearts Afire Parish-based programs for the New Evangelization retreat that took place in Kennesaw this weekend.  A 3-hour get-together turned into 6.5 for me; there were others staying a little longer! 

I am thankful...For the opportunity to bond with all these lovely ladies who were all relative strangers with their love for the Lord and the Catholic Church in common, and Maria and the internet to bring us together.  Wow, it was so, so fun.  I couldn't even begin to tell you what we talked about....well, I could, but it would be a long list.  Suffice it to say that there were moments of hilarity interspersed between more spiritual subjects, along with personal sharing of family life.  There's so much to ponder from yesterday.  That should be the Word of the Day.


Thank you, Bego!  

From the learning rooms...Math.  Ugh.

In the kitchen...A Costco-sized bag of chocolate chips to be made into cookies, cookie dough for the beach, and gluten-free cookies.  Fun!

I am wondering...What plans God has for me now.  I've had a couple of hints since March when I made my Total Consecration to Mary, and I wonder what yesterday had to do with those hints.

I am reading...Extreme Makeover by Teresa Tomeo for the moms in our AHG troop.  I have to finish it for Saturday though I've had 6 months to read it!  If you're a woman, you should read it.

Around the house...Quietness with my Pip gone to summer camp.  A yappy dog who is not content with his lot in life today.  

One of my favorite things...Time spent among like-minded women.  Did you figure out what the title of my blog-post means?  I was blessed (to be) among women yesterday.  

A few plans for the rest of the week...Sewing and summering.  

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...  

An experiment that I'm hand-stitching (and painting) from cast-off undershirts using this book for a guide. 

Hosted by The Simple Woman's Daybook 

What I Read Today

And those who trust Him he takes under His special protection.  He marks out their whole life for them; He appoints all that happens to them; He guides them in such a way as to secure their salvation; He gives them just so much of health, of wealth, and of friends as is best for them; He afflicts them only when it is for their good; He is never angry with them.  He measures out just that number of years that is good for them; and He appoints the hour of their death in such a way as to secure their perseverance of it.

---John Henry Cardinal Newman

{How does He always know what I need to hear? ;-)  }

Divine Mercy Sunday

I spent a wonderful 5+ hours at church today: 10:30 Mass with the choir, then cantoring the noon Mass, and then a 1-hour talk about Divine Mercy by Sister Grace Kelly of the Sisters of Reparation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, followed by the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Sister Grace gave a talk at each Mass that was an introduction to her longer talk at 1:30. She was very inspirational.

It was an amazing day. Inspired by Sister Grace and the always inspirational ladies at Catholic Cuisine, I came up with this for dessert:


I just used the shortcake recipe from my BH&G cookbook, doubled it, and made a square and circle. I cut the circle in half to make the heart. Then I covered the seams with the blood and water pouring from Jesus's heart----strawberry syrup made from berries we picked last summer, and blue whipped cream. And it tasted wonderful, too, just like Jesus's sweet mercy!

Like the gospel command, "Be merciful, just as your Father
is merciful," this demand that we show mercy to our
neighbors "always and everywhere" seems impossible to
fulfill. But the Lord assures us that it is possible. "When a
soul approaches Me with trust," He explains, "I fill it with such
an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within
itself, but radiates them to other souls" (Diary, 1074).

Date Night

I'm so excited. Dh and I have a date tonight! A few of the kids will be tagging along, but that's okay because we're going to the Alliance of the Two Hearts Vigil.


Our home has been enthroned to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the past 6 years, and we love these monthly vigils put on by the Alliance, although they have a different enthronement to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We haven't been to one in ages. It's all but impossible during football season.

The vigil will begin at 8:00pm with scriptural rosary and confessions, a 9:00pm Mass in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to be celebrated by Archbishop Emeritus Donoghue, followed with Holy Hours of Adoration and will conclude with a 1:00am Saturday Mass in honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It's a marathon of prayer and spirituality but it refreshes the soul. Just what I need in this first week of Advent!

From the Fisheater's Website:

General devotion to the Sacred Heart, the birthplace of the Church and the font of Love, were popular in Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries, especially in response to the devotion of St. Gertrude the Great (b. 1256), but specific devotions became even more popularized when St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690), a Visitation nun, had a personal revelation involving a series of visions of Christ as she prayed before the Blessed Sacrament. She wrote, "He disclosed to me the marvels of his Love and the inexplicable secrets of his Sacred Heart." Christ emphasized to her His love -- and His woundedness caused by Man's indifference to this love.

He promised that, in response to those who consecrate themselves and make reparations to His Sacred Heart:

• He will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
• He will establish peace in their homes.
• He will comfort them in all their afflictions.
• He will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
• He will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
• Sinners will find in His Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
• Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.
• Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
• He will bless every place in which an image of His Heart is exposed and honored.
• He will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
• Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in His Heart.
• In the excessive mercy of His Heart that His all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in His disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. His divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

The devotions attached to these promises are:

• Receiving Communion frequently
• First Fridays: going to Confession and receiving the Eucharist on the first Friday of each month for nine consecutive months. Many parishes will offer public First Friday devotions; if they do, you must perform First Fridays publicly. If it isn't so offered in your parish, you can do this privately, going to Confession, receiving the Eucharist, and offering your prayers for the intention of the Holy Father.
• Holy Hour: Eucharistic Adoration for one hour on Thursdays ("Could you not watch one hour with me?"). Holy Hour can be made alone or as part of a group with formal prayers.
• Celebrating of the Feast of the Sacred Heart (see below)

Note also that June is devoted to the Sacred Heart.