OK..So I lied..sort of

It looks like I told a big one.  I said I was going to post about inner divinity and the light of the spirit.  Well, I got busy and didn't do my "homework."  I needed to go out and get a few things done, a few groceries, get gas, go to the dry cleaners and try to get a parking place at the library.  The library had nary a place to park my van, and I am not the best backer-upper in little spaces.  By the way, gas went up 15 cents over-night.

I also have a busy day mapped out in my head...for tomorrow.   Sometimes my head doesn't know which way the rest of me is going.  I think this may become a temporary condition for the rest of Advent(Christmas)season.

I also did cloths and emptied out a junk drawer, cleaned it and tossed out some junk...the things we save!  Another drawer  to be done tomorrow.

The sound went out on my new TV and I have been trying to lip read.  That didn't work so well!  I could make out a word here and there, but not enough to know what is going on.  Apparently the Cable Co. upgraded their software which downgraded my TV "smart ware"  I guess it has happened to others and I have to call Toshiba to get a "walk through.

Anyway, now you know which way and where my day went...it went "that away."

END 

FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT

LIGHT ONE CANDLE

USE EXTREME CARE AND CAUTION

WITH LIGHTED CANDLES

This is an "off" day for me.  I kept falling asleep on the couch even though I had plenty of rest and slept late.  Maybe it is the weather...blame it on something, right?   We have had lots of rain and the Ohio is backing up into the "bottoms" or low lands along the river...and we had our first "snow" this morning.  It didn't stick because the ground is so saturated.

The deer are coming up out of the bottoms at night now, because they are being flooded out and are seeking higher ground .  There have been several deer related accidents and one death of a young driver last week.  That's why I don't care to drive at night when the deer are on the move.

I went to the eye Dr. this afternoon.  I go every 3 months.  I have glaucoma, the early stages of cataracts and the early stages of mac. degeneration.  Maybe that's why I got so sleepy after I got home.  By the way, my test were better than the last time and the Dr. was pleased...so was I.
.
I really have nothing to write about this eve.  I was going to make some home-made bread, but was too lazy to get started.
I hope to give it a go tomorrow... and maybe some more cookies.

Also, I hope to do some research on inner divinity..no, not the candy kind, but the inner divinity that we are all born with, as well as the inner light of the spirit.

So I am winding down early tonight and going to bed early, too...or earlier than usual.  "Into your hands, O Lord, I commit my spirit."

END

The Angelus

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord

declared unto Mary.

And she conceived of the Holy Spirit

Hail Mary...etc.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord.

May it be done unto me

according to Your word.

Hail Mary...etc.

And the Word was made flesh.

And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary...etc.

V.  Pray, for us O Holy Mother of God

R.  That we may be made worthy

of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.  Pour forth,

we beseech You, O Lord,

Your grace into our hearts

that we to whom

the incarnation of Christ,

Your Son, was made known

by the message of an angel,

may, by His passion and cross,

be brought to the glory

of the resurrection,

through the same Christ

our Lord.  Amen

for each Hail Mary that has an....etc...after it, say

Hail Mary, full of grace

the Lord is with you

Blessed is the fruit of your womb,

 Jesus

Holy Mary, Mother of God

Pray for us sinners,

 now and at the hour

of our death...Amen

There is no precise historical documentation as to exactly when the Angelus was introduced into the Church, but it has been traced back as far as the 11th century and was prayed in monasteries, convents and by the ordinary people of the Church.  It is still prayed throughout the Christian world, by Catholics, some Lutherans, Protestants, and in general, lay people.  The church recommends that the Angelus be prayed three times a day, around 6 A.M-12 noon and around 6 P.M on a daily bases.  Pope John Paul wrote that the Angelus leads us to God and God leads us to the Angelus.

This past week the new translation of the mass was introduced on the first day-Sunday-of Advent.  We stumbled over a few words, but it was harder for the priest who offered up the mass.  After all, he is in his 80's, but he did pretty well.

Today I had to go get my licence renewed and take a box to the UPS store to ship back to Dish Network.  It was really windy and cold.  I just don't enjoy this kind of weather.

+++

WHAT A STRANGE

AND WONDROUS STORY

FROM THE BOOK OF GOD

IS READ

HOW THE LORD

OF LIFE AND GLORY

HAD NO WHERE

TO LAY HIS HEAD

HOW HE LEFT HIS

HEAVENLY FATHER

AND IN A MANGER LIE 

THAN GROW AND TEACH

TO HEAL AND PREACH

AND ON A CROSS DID DIE

BORN TO HOLY MARY

SO VERY LONG AGO

IN A LOWLY, HUMBLE STABLE

WHERE THE

WISE MEN FOUND HIM SO

THE ANGELS SANG

HIS COMING

A STRANGE AND

WONDROUS MAN

AS TOLD BY THE

GREAT PROPHETS

TO FULFILL THE

FATHER'S PLAN

Well, you can't accuse me of being a great..or even a good poet...can you.  This a statement...not a question.

Some may wonder why I continue this blog in this vein.  I continue for the Russian readers and for the readers in other countries.  And that is that.  The choice is yours..to read or not.

END

Shopping for Advent

Yes, Advent-Christmas is just around that next corner and it is coming up fast.  Yikes!  The older I get the faster time flies.  The calender moves on without me!

I have been out picking up a few items to take to the residents at the nursing home.  Everything is being downsized except for the price.  You get less for the money.

I hate wrapping presents.  I am all thumbs and I seem to get things that are oddly shaped and hard to wrap.  The good thing is that the residents hardly notice and the wrappings become torn and shredded anyway. Kids come in all ages.  The elderly enjoy getting Christmas presents, too.

I have the crock pot working overtime.  I have potatoes, a roast, cauliflower and onions making the house smell ever so good.  It will be for dinner after I get over roaming tomorrow. I may even make a batch of Peanut Butter cookies before I go to bed...to take over to the Sisters.  I am a firm believer in bribery via route of the tummy...tummy power.

THE ANGEL OF THE LORD

DECLARED UNTO MARY..

The home used to set out an Advent Log or wreath,  with four candles to mark the passing of each week as Advent progressed.  That isn't done now due to fire hazards, but I really did enjoy it while I was working.  Dare I tell them that there are now flame less candles now, battery operated?  Yes, I dare.

Something I learned new this day:  The church recommends that the Angelus be recited/prayed three times a day.  I will post the Angelus on Monday and if anyone is interested they can copy or pray from there.  Most catholics know the Angelus, but there may be some that don't or have never had the opportunity to read or learn it.  We learn all the time, don't we?

So..I am off to make some cookies...it's the season, you know.

END 

p.s.  I think I will make my own Advent Wreath

I have candles!

THE ROSARY

I love the rosary.

I love praying the rosary.

It is not required.

It is not an obligation.

It is not a sacrament.

I am compelled
to pray the rosary.

It is a gift of prayer.

It is a meditation.

It gives me peace.

Therefore, to me it is

an inner sacrament.

No man, priest, Bishop

or even the Pope..

can bestow this inner

sacrament upon me.

It is an internal gift

of grace that was given

to me, a seed planted,

nourished and ever growing.

***

Contrary to some thinking

we do not  worship Mary.

We giver her honor

as her son Jesus Christ did,

As God did when He chose

Mary to bear His only

begotten son, as we,

God's people should...
 and can honor her, too.

The Hail Mary is an intercessory prayer.  We ask the Mother of God to pray for us..to intercede for us, just as we would ask our mothers, fathers, sisters, friends or brothers, to pray for us..here on this earthly plane.  The Hail Mary is enhanced by the Our Fathers that are prayed with and on the rosary.  The Hail Mary can not supplant Our Lords Prayer, but makes the our Father rise to the heavens so succinctly, thus I call it an inner sacrament that God has sown in our hearts for us to foster.

The Church may not care for my analogy or concept of an inner sacrament.  I am sure that if I am in some kind of error..I will soon find out.  And if I am...I well accept it and correct my poor understanding.  As I have said before, I am not a theologian..not by a long shot: I am a simple minded person..so forgive me if I let a small inner voice misguide me in any way.

If you don't have a rosary, but you do have a computer or access to one, you can find and pray the rosary on line.  Just type "rosary" into your search engine and the rosary will find you.  Yes, you can actually use those ten fingers.  Many have and still do.

Yesterday was a semi-long day.  When I got home I had to take a nap.  That was a mistake because when I went to bed...umm...I couldn't sleep!  So, I just slept late this morning.  I can do that, you know!

I kept to my diet yesterday.  I had a thin sliver of Pumpkin Pie and no sugary drinks.  As I expected, there were wall to wall people and very crowded.  Anytime I moved, someone grabbed my chair!  It was a good day and a banquet well shared.  No, I didn't bring leftovers home with me as some did.  I just don't need the temptation of all those calories.

Today I have just been doing the few dishes that were left from yesterday and doing some general picking up around the house.  I hope one and all had a good day yesterday, today and into all the tomorrows.

FEEL LIKE THIS?

END

Done, done and done in.

OK.  Everything is about done and so am I.  The Little Smokies turned out well-not too sweet.  There are 36 deviled eggs ready to go.  For the first time the eggs peeled nicely.  Usually the boiled eggs look like they were mangled or run over.  They taste good and I have some boiled eggs left over.  The Oyster Dressing is made and ready and to be consumed by a couple of guys that think that oysters make them more virile and manly-do they?   I made some muffin bread: an experiment-with peanut butter.  It is pretty good, but not enough to take to the dinner.  It was just a small batch.

So...I have been cooking and cleaning as I go.  All the dishes and utensils are washed.  Oops...a few egg shells hit the floor.  I never took time to take the pictures of what I prepared.  By this time tomorrow night all the abundance of the day will be just a memory and with indigestion.  What I take to the table will be only a small portion and will be consumed with a passion.  Except for me.  I will watch my diet and my passion unless I spot some Pumpkin Pie....or any kind of pie!

*********************

"OMNIA AD MQJOREM DEI GLORIAM"

"ALL FOR THE GREATER GLORY OF GOD!"

" In sacred banquet, in which Christ is received,

the memory of His passion is renewed,

the mind is filled with grace,

and a pledge of future glory

is given to us."

+++

St. Tomas-Office of the Blessed Sacrament.

 

 You may not think the above iconic painting has anything to do with the theme of Thanksgiving, but it does.  Jesus shares His last meal with His friends-followers-disciples, and says as He breaks the bread, "Do this in memory of me."  And that is what it is all about, isn't it...Giving Thanks and breaking bread together: with friends, families, neighbors?

Don't forget;

I probably

won't post

tomorrow.

END

Got food...Got Charity?

I was thinking that I would have some pictures of Thanksgiving preparations/food, but don't have any yet.  Maybe tomorrow.  I have all the eggs boiled and ready to peel.  The barbecued Little Smokies will go into the Crock Pot tomorrow and simmer overnight.  The Oyster Dressing will get made tomorrow, too, and then go into the fridge until Thursday morning.  I also save all the empty egg cartons and use them to put the deviled eggs into when they are made.  This is a good way to transport them and then throw away the egg cartons.  I may make some other things as well.

I am always reminded that I was on my way back from my mother's funeral on Thanksgiving Day years ago.  Nothing was open on the PA. Turnpike, but I finally found a McDonald's  where I got a yucky burger.

On Thursday I will not post.  I don't know what time I will get home or how tired I will be.  I just know it will be a full day.

I know that I have been and am slacking off a little bit with this blog, but it is a season of business.  I have an agenda for next week, too, and don't know if I can get everything done that I am planning.  I imagine most people will be in same seasonal boat. 

"SET ALL THINGS IN THEIR OWN PARTICULAR PLACE, AND KNOW THAT ORDER IS THE GREATEST GRACE.  by Dryden.   I'll bet he had his own cook and dish washer

.

In all of our rush, fuss and preparations...we forget what it is all about.  Little children can tell you.

"THE END OF THE COMMANDMENT IS CHARITY WITH PURE HEART, AND GOOD CONSCIENCE, AND A UNFEIGNED FAITH."  1 Tim. 1:5

Got all that?  Well, I am working on it.  Real-true charity is not so hard when times are good, but when the times get tuff, the charity gets tightened, stretched and bent a little.  For all of us know that "Charity begins at home" and we tend to live by it, rather live of  and for it.  If you have two loaves of bread can you give one away?  Christ divided the bread and fishes and fed 5,000.

I know that where I will be on Thanksgiving Day there will be wall to wall food in abundance.  I also know that it will be shared out to those in need that come to the table.

WHO WILL JOIN YOU AT THE TABLE?

END