The words at the bottom read, ‘For God so loved the world.’

Unkown artist.

Mary Vitamin for May 14th
Topic: Spiritual Falls

Quote:
St. Maximilian Kolbe
“The Immaculata permits our falls to cure us of self-love, pride and the rest, and to bring us to humility that we may be dependent on the graces of the Lord.”
Will to Love, (Marytown Press), 81

Meditation:
St. Maximilian Kolbe
“In case of a fall, do not be saddened for that is a form of decadent pride; rather with great love and joy of heart arise at once and go forward! Make up for the fall with a perfect act of love.and, of course, with constant, constant effort. . Let us always put our foot on the first rung, as St. Therese of the Child Jesus says, until we win over God, who will come and pick us up and take us above.”
Will to Love, 83

Resolution:
One time today, after a failing, I will turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary and ask her to send me one sacrifice to make up for my fault. She knows my capacities. She will send me the right sacrifice, one suited to my weakness.

Marian Vow:
St. Maximilian Kolbe
“Falls serve a purpose and teach us that we must not depend upon ourselves, but put all our trust in God’s hands and in the hands of the Immaculate Mediatrix of All Graces. Always peacefully, always serenely, never in sadness.”
Will to Love, 82

I give this resolution to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Thanks be to God for graces received.

I LOVE being Catholic, and my heart breaks for those who are not blessed to know the fullness of our Faith.

Today my family starts this novena, and I am absolutely in love with it. Each verse leaves me breathless.

Join me as I pray….

Novena of the Holy Spirit
by St. Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)

Who are you, sweet light, that fills me
And illumines the darkness of my heart?
You lead me like a mother’s hand,
And should you let go of me,
I would not know how to take another step.
You are the space
That embraces my being and buries it in yourself.
Away from you it sinks into the abyss
Of nothingness, from which you raised it to the light.
You, nearer to me than I to myself
And more interior than my most interior
And still impalpable and intangible
And beyond any name:
Holy Spirit eternal love!

Are you not the sweet manna
That from the Son’s heart
Overflows into my heart,
The food of angels and the blessed?
He who raised himself from death to life,
He has also awakened me to new life
From the sleep of death.
And he gives me new life from day to day,
And at some time his fullness is to stream through me,
Life of your life indeed, you yourself:
Holy Spirit eternal life!

Are you the ray
That flashes down from the eternal Judge’s throne
And breaks into the night of the soul
That had never known itself?
Mercifully relentlessly
It penetrates hidden folds.
Alarmed at seeing itself,
The self makes space for holy fear,
The beginning of that wisdom
That comes from on high
And anchors us firmly in the heights,
Your action,
That creates us anew:
Holy Spirit ray that penetrates everything!

Are you the spirit’s fullness and the power
By which the Lamb releases the seal
Of God’s eternal decree?
Driven by you
The messengers of judgment ride through the world
And separate with a sharp sword
The kingdom of light from the kingdom of night.
Then heaven becomes new and new the earth,
And all finds its proper place
Through your breath:
Holy Spirit victorious power!

Are you the master who builds the eternal cathedral,
Which towers from the earth through the heavens?
Animated by you, the columns are raised high
And stand immovably firm.
Marked with the eternal name of God,
They stretch up to the light,
Bearing the dome,
Which crowns the holy cathedral,
Your work that encircles the world:
Holy Spirit God’s molding hand!

Are you the one who created the unclouded mirror
Next to the Almighty’s throne,
Like a crystal sea,
In which Divinity lovingly looks at itself?
You bend over the fairest work of your creation,
And radiantly your own gaze
Is illumined in return.
And of all creatures the pure beauty
Is joined in one in the dear form
Of the Virgin, your immaculate bride:
Holy Spirit Creator of all!

Are you the sweet song of love
And of holy awe
That eternally resounds around the triune throne,
That weds in itself the clear chimes of each and every being?
The harmony,
That joins together the members to the Head,
In which each one
Finds the mysterious meaning of his being blessed
And joyously surges forth,
Freely dissolved in your surging:
Holy Spirit eternal jubilation!

This novena reminds me yet again why I so, so love to be Catholic. When you’re Catholic, you can’t escape the beauty or the excellence. One of my main gripes against our secular culture is the lack of real beauty and real excellence. This novena is so beautiful and so excellent, so Holy Spirit driven.

Did anyone else get goosebumps?

Oh do I wish I was at the White House yesterday…eating. While Pope Benedict couldn’t make the dinner (he was meeting with the US’ bishops), those who were able to come (including Chief Justice Roberts, George Weigel, author of the biography of Pope John Paul II, Ken Hackett, President of Catholic Relief Services, and last but not least, Tommy Lasorda, former baseball player and manager) surely enjoyed the meal…hey, more food for them. Just kidding. Anyways, thanks to the World Wide Web, I am privy to the menu:

* Morel-encrusted Diver Scallops
* Ramp Spaetzle
* Angel Hair Asparagus Bisque
* Duo of Veal
* White Truffle-Potato Dumplings
* Baby Carrots and Boletus Mushrooms
* Heirloom Lettuces and Candied Pumpkin Seeds
* Spring Squash Carpaccio
* Styrian Pumpkin Oil Vinaigrette
* Raspberry Crisp
* Mint Coulis

Ohhh oh. Yum. The Raspberry Crisp and the White Truffle-Potato Dumplings sound most interesting to me at the moment…and ideas on how I get myself to the White House for dinner? Anyone…anyone?

and I am reveling in the glory of our Lord.

I slept in ’till 10:00 am…and ate banana pudding, lemon tarts, and Devin’s Delight for breakfast. Posts are forthcoming on all Easter food.

I went out with friends for lunch.

I worked on a family project.

And now I am finally posting a little quiz/meme thing I have had in my inbox for about a month.

Here are the directions:

1. Go to http://photobucket.com

2. Type in your answer to each question in the search box.

3. Use only the first page. (But cheat and use the other pages if there really isn’t anything good on the first page….says Devin)

4. Copy the html and paste for the answer.

What is your relationship status?

Who is your celebrity crush?
and because one picture isn’t enough…

Who is your favorite band?
(at the moment)

What is your favorite movie?
(Barbary Coast – one of my all time faves)

Where do you live?

Where do you work?

What do you look like?

What do you drive?

What is your favorite TV show?
(this is like the only Robin Hood pic on photobucket, within the first few pages, that has the real REASON for me liking it so much in it: Richard Armitage!)

Describe yourself.
(ehh, ‘Catholic,’ ‘Catholic Girl,’ ‘Irish Catholic,’ and ‘Devin’ all had real bad results.)

What’s your favorite candy?

Happy Easter Monday, y’all.

As Pope John Paul II said, “Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.”

A HAPPY, HAPPY Easter to all. I am so joyful and ready and excited for Easter–ie. I am sooo done with Lent.

Rejoice today and put aside all of your troubles…revel in remembering that a very marvelous man AND our glorious God, out of His free will and choice, decided to die for our sins and then rise so we would have life everlasting.

The Mass of Easter Day (readings):

Reading 1
Acts 10:34a, 37-43

Peter proceeded to speak and said:
“You know what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good
and healing all those oppressed by the devil,
for God was with him.
We are witnesses of all that he did
both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.
They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.
This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible,
not to all the people, but to us,
the witnesses chosen by God in advance,
who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
He commissioned us to preach to the people
and testify that he is the one appointed by God
as judge of the living and the dead.
To him all the prophets bear witness,
that everyone who believes in him
will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23

R. (24) This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;
the right hand of the LORD is exalted.
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD.”
R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading II
Col 3:1-4

Brothers and sisters:
If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ your life appears,
then you too will appear with him in glory.

or

I Cor 5:6b-8

Brothers and sisters:
Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?
Clear out the old yeast,
so that you may become a fresh batch of dough,
inasmuch as you are unleavened.
For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.
Therefore, let us celebrate the feast,
not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Gospel
Jn 20:1-9

On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.

Blessed be our Lord and Savior on this day the memorial of Him rising from the dead to give us life everlasting.

Now, go and FEAST!

Reading I
Gn 2:7-9; 3:1-7

The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground
and blew into his nostrils the breath of life,
and so man became a living being.

Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,
and placed there the man whom he had formed.
Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow
that were delightful to look at and good for food,
with the tree of life in the middle of the garden
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals
that the LORD God had made.
The serpent asked the woman,
“Did God really tell you not to eat
from any of the trees in the garden?”
The woman answered the serpent:
“We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;
it is only about the fruit of the tree
in the middle of the garden that God said,
‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.’”
But the serpent said to the woman:
“You certainly will not die!
No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it
your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods
who know what is good and what is evil.”
The woman saw that the tree was good for food,
pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom.
So she took some of its fruit and ate it;
and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her,
and he ate it.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened,
and they realized that they were naked;
so they sewed fig leaves together
and made loincloths for themselves.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17

R. (cf. 3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.”

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Reading II
Rom 5:12-19 or 5:12, 17-19

Brothers and sisters:
Through one man sin entered the world,
and through sin, death,
and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned—
for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world,
though sin is not accounted when there is no law.
But death reigned from Adam to Moses,
even over those who did not sin
after the pattern of the trespass of Adam,
who is the type of the one who was to come.

But the gift is not like the transgression.
For if by the transgression of the one, the many died,
how much more did the grace of God
and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ
overflow for the many.
And the gift is not like the result of the one who sinned.
For after one sin there was the judgment that brought condemnation;
but the gift, after many transgressions, brought acquittal.
For if, by the transgression of the one,
death came to reign through that one,
how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace
and of the gift of justification
come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.
In conclusion, just as through one transgression
condemnation came upon all,
so, through one righteous act,
acquittal and life came to all.
For just as through the disobedience of the one man
the many were made sinners,
so, through the obedience of the one,
the many will be made righteous.

Gospel
Mt 4:1-11

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert
to be tempted by the devil.
He fasted for forty days and forty nights,
and afterwards he was hungry.
The tempter approached and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command that these stones become loaves of bread.”
He said in reply,
“It is written:
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth
from the mouth of God.”

Then the devil took him to the holy city,
and made him stand on the parapet of the temple,
and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.
For it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you
and with their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus answered him,
“Again it is written,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain,
and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,
and he said to him, “All these I shall give to you,
if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”
At this, Jesus said to him,
“Get away, Satan!
It is written:
The Lord, your God, shall you worship
and him alone shall you serve.”
Then the devil left him and, behold,
angels came and ministered to him.

—-

God bless and keep all of you this morning of the First Sunday of Lent.

Devin

Found in this previous blog post.