The "O" Antiphons of Advent

Beginning today and ending on December 23rd, folks who daily recite The Liturgy of the Hours will find themselves praying the great "O" Antiphons. Each day during the next seven days, a different name describing Christ found in the Old Testament is used during Evening Prayer or Vespers.

Here they are:

December 17 - O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from one end to the other mightily, and sweetly ordering all things: Come and teach us the way of prudence.

December 18 - O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.

December 19 - O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples; before you kings will shut their mouths, to you the nations will make their prayer: Come and deliver us, and delay no longer.

December 20 - O Key of David and scepter of the House of Israel; you open and no one can shut; you shut and no one can open: Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house, those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, Isaiah had prophesied.

December 21 - O Morning Star, splendor of light eternal and sun of righteousness: Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

December 22 - O King of the nations, and their desire, the cornerstone making both one: Come and save the human race, which you fashioned from clay.

December 23 - O Emmanuel, our king and our lawgiver, the hope of the nations and their Savior: Come and save us, O Lord our God.


If you wish to read more about these Antiphons, please check the Wikipedia article found here.

The Empty Cross

I have a shop in a flea market near where I live. Among the variety of articles that I sell is some religious jewelry that came from a religious goods shop that closed many years ago. I have some crucifixes and also simple crosses that can be worn on a chain.

Not long ago, an elderly woman and her young grandson stopped by and were looking at my selection of crucifixes and crosses. The little boy was pointing out the crucifixes to her, noting that Jesus' body was on the cross.

Grandma explained to the boy that they did not wear crucifixes; only crosses. Their religious faith was concentrated on the Resurrection of Jesus, not His Crucifixion. I thought this was an interesting explanation of a distinction between some Christian denominations and us Catholics who cherish both the Crucifixion and the Resurrection and are not shy about wearing images of the crucified Jesus, as well as medals representing different saints.

I thought Grandma did a nice job of explaining what she believed and I doubt that the child will forget what she taught that day.

All Hallow's Eve

The rain stopped earlier this afternoon, just in time for the children in this subdivision to enjoy an evening of trick-or-treating. I'm glad it cleared up for their sakes. If they felt like I did as a child, this night was a special one where they could dress up in costume and fill their sacks with candy and other goodies...

Yes, I know all the arguments against Halloween trick-or-treating so I'm not going to address those issues. All I want to think about tonight is the fun of knowing that a child can dress up and pretend to be someone totally different than they are in real life. That a child can get a free piece of candy or other treat for no other reason than custom. That for once, the child (with a parent) can knock on a door and expect to get something for nothing.

Actually, the homeowner who answers the door gets quite a treat themselves. I find it interesting to see what types of costumes the children wear. Some are very elaborate. Others are simply thrown together from odds and ends that a parent has around the house. Sometimes, the parents get dressed up too.

When I was a child, we sometimes played tricks. But what tricks!!! Can you imagine the unsophistication of a child who has a wallet or purse attached to a string, who puts the purse on a porch, rings the doorbell and hastily runs to the side of the house to wait for the occupant to open the door. We expected the person who opened the door to be totally surprised that there should be a purse on his doorstep. We wanted him to reach down to pick it up and we would pull the string and snatch the purse from his outstretched hand!!! Did it ever work that way? Nooooo...

Sometimes, bad boys in the neighborhood would soap up a car or move things off a porch... things like that. I don't remember anything really destructive that was done. Sometimes, the local playground which was not far from my home, had Halloween activities too. I spent a lot of time at that playground when I was growing up. There was a woman there who taught crafts and games to us and made sure that we had plenty to do.

I was shocked several years ago when people began finding razor blades and other things in apples and candy bars. Who would want to hurt children like that. Events like that changed trick-or-treating forever. One couldn't just enjoy the evening. Now one had to instruct their children NOT to accept fruit or any unwrapped candy. When my grandchildren brought home their treats, everything was emptied on the table and anything suspicious was discarded immediately. Such a shame that children had to be made aware that some folks do mean things.

Anyway, I was happy to see the few who ventured down my street tonight. They were greeted with a smile from me and a compliment on their costumes and a wish that they have lots of fun tonight. Too soon, these children will grow up to discover a world that is not the carefree world of childhood.

Behind and before, You encircle me...

Recently, Psalm 139 came up as one of the psalms in rotation in the Liturgy of the Hours. I love this psalm. Every time I pray it, I am struck by one or another of its verses. This time it was verse 5, which goes like this: "Behind and before, you encircle me and rest your hand upon me."

It is such a comforting thought to know that our God is so personal to us that He wishes to capture us in His embrace; and to rest His hand on us to guide and direct us...

In times of distress and suffering, He encircles us as a gesture of protection - a promise to us that He will not give us more than we can endure. When we stumble and seem ready to fall, He rests His hand upon us to steady us and give us strength to go on.

In times of temptation, He encircles us with His grace; help that we can accept or not. When we fall into sin and our hearts and souls cry out for mercy and forgiveness, His hand is there to lift us up and bring us back into friendship with Him. We know He has not abandoned us; it is we who have abandoned Him.

We simply cannot fathom the love our Father has for us. Our love for spouse, children, other family members or friends is only a tiny foretaste of the love that our God has for each of us. It is a sacrificial love that allowed His beloved Son to become one of us. And that Son willing to taste death to be the ultimate sacrifice that brought healing to us and to all of creation.

Even then, we were not to be left alone; for the Spirit was promised to us. We believe God's Holy Spirit is with us right now, to guide us in the way we are to go. All we are required to do is to love, to trust... and to encircle in love the people we encounter and to place our hands in theirs to comfort them in their need, just as our God does with us.

Lord, let Your Light shine through us unto everyone we meet.

The Wren's Song

Sometimes, during the summer months, in the early morning soon after I have awakened, a wren begins to sing directly outside my bedroom window. This tiny bird has one of the most beautiful voices in nature; and it is a joy to hear it.

The wren's song is loud and has an intricate and beautiful melody. The wren is calling someone. If you listen closely, away in the distance, one can hear a faint response to its call. As the wren continues to sing, the answering call sounds closer, becomes stronger, as though the second wren is following the call of its mate so that they can be together.

Isn't the wren's beautiful call like God's call to us? God sings His beautiful melody into our souls and desires a response from us.

Our souls try to answer but because of sin, our voices are weak and can scarcely be heard. God doesn't give up though. His beautiful melody reaches us again and again, as we try to put away our sins and come closer to Him.

As I reflect on God's call, I am reminded of another call - the evil song of the Lorelei, whose haunting melody lured sailors and their ships to destruction among the rocks of the river Rhine.

But our God's call is not a call to destruction; but a call to life in Him. The call of the evil one can have no effect on us if our hearts, souls and minds are filled with God's melody.

Gospel Anniversary Concert #18

Well, it's all over! Today we are recuperating from weeks of hard work, music-wise, and so we can finally get rid of the stress that had built up for the past several months in our music ministry. If you recall in August, the gospel choir I am a member of, had to learn the music for and to sing at an ethnic Nuptial Mass at our Cathedral. That Mass turned out to be a beautiful event and we did our part well too.

At the same time, we were preparing songs for our gospel concert that was held yesterday in our parish church. Because we had to learn so much new music for the Nuptial Mass, we limited ourselves to only 2 new gospel songs and a couple of songs we seldom sing at Mass because of various reasons. (Please note, that many of the gospel songs have to be modified a little to make them appropriate for Mass selections.) Gospel music in concert is often very repetitive and it takes time to sing it properly.

In addition to the songs we sang, were songs provided by the five gospel choirs from various Christian churches/groups in the surrounding area. Each sang their three allotted songs. It was a wonderful mixture of different gospel styles and the audience was very appreciative.

My gospel choir began 32 years ago and there are still several of us around who have been members from the early years. We are a mixed group of around seventeen members. And after so many years together, we can sing!

Our concert was the 18th we had celebrated over the years. Because our choir had had a major transition about 2 years ago in losing our director/pianist who had been with us for 13 years, we had no concert last year. We now have a new pianist and our assistant director has assumed leadership of the choir. She is excellent; as is our new pianist, whose wife is a parishioner!

After all the musical festivities, we had food for our guests. All the good stuff that our choir members prepared: deviled eggs, meatballs, fried chicken, glazed chicken, ham sandwiches, turkey sandwiches, salad platters, cheese platters, cake, and punch... Choir members had decorated the parish hall for the reception and members of the parish helped us serve our guests and ourselves.

It really was a wonderful afternoon. We received many compliments, both for our music, as well as for our repast. You can guess we were exhausted at the end of the day; but we are looking forward to next year when we will do it again!

One of the gospel songs we sang was Hezikiah Walker's Grateful. You can find it here:

Grateful

Other than the fact that Hezikiah Walker's choir is larger, we sound just like this!

Female Deacons?

"Similarly, deacons must be dignified, not deceitful, not addicted to drink, not greedy for sordid gain, holding fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. Moreover, they should be tested first; then, if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.

Women, similarly, should be dignified, not slanderers, but temperate and faithful in everything. Deacons may be married only once and must manage their children and their households well. Thus those who serve well as deacons gain good standing and much confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus." 1 Tim 3:8-13


These verses were taken from the New American Bible and were part of the 1st Reading for the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows celebrated today, September 15, 2009.

I recall reading earlier this year about the possibility of ordaining women into the diaconate at some point in the future. I imagine these verses are part of the "proof" that at one time, women as well as men, filled this role in the Christian community.

I was looking at the footnotes in my bible this morning after I read this passage. Here is what the footnotes in the New American Bible had to say about this verse 11 (with my emphasis):

"Women: this seems to refer to women deacons but may possibly mean wives of deacons. The former is preferred because the word is used absolutely; if deacons' wives were meant, a possessive "their" would be expected. Moreover, they are also introduced by the word "similarly," as in 1 Tim 3:8; this parallel suggests that they too exercised ecclesiastical functions."

I would certainly be in favor of ordaining women deacons. There could surely be no reason to withhold this ministry from women since it obviously was a legitimate one in the early Church. I'd like to know the reason it was suppressed in the first place. I would hate to think it was abolished because the powers-that-be were afraid that women might think they could then aspire to the priesthood...

Well, folks... What do you think?

Something's Missing

I have found it very helpful for my own spiritual life, if I can attend Mass during the week as well as on Sunday. My own parish has only a Wednesday evening Mass which I attend, but I have found that a local Catholic hospital not far from my home has Mass in its chapel twice a week. The hospital is within the service area of a Catholic parish not my own. The pastor celebrates Mass there before going on his hospital rounds. Our little community of about 15 regulars come mainly from the priest's parish, but also from surrounding parishes like I do. We are a congenial group.

So what is the problem?

Although the Mass is celebrated reverently, it is missing some of its little rituals. What has happened to the several drops of water that the celebrant is supposed to pour into the chalice with the wine? The co-mingling of the water and wine. There is no water cruet set out for that or for washing his hands. There is no paten for a larger host; only a plate containing the small hosts. What has happened to the breaking of a consecrated Host and the tiny bit that is supposed to be put into the chalice with the Precious Blood? It doesn't happen as far as I can tell...

It's a pity since these rituals all have a meaning that now is lost to those of us who attend these Masses. However, I am not the one who is going to call the priest's attention to the lack of these rituals. From what I have gathered, he is not happy when he is questioned about certain issues. I am a visitor there so I am just grateful that I can attend these Masses and receive my Lord during the week.

Come and See!

When I read this passage from John's Gospel (John 1:46) where Philip invites Nathaniel (Bartholomew) to go with him to meet Jesus of Nazareth, it reminded me of another passage in Scripture where the very same words were used.

Of course, the one I remembered took place after the Resurrection, when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There they found an angel sitting in the empty tomb. The angel told the women not to be afraid; that their Lord had risen. The angel invited them to "Come and see the place where he lay." (Matthew 28:6)

Just out of curiosity, I decided to search for other references for this invitation in the New Testament among the Gospels. I actually found several.

Remember where John the Baptizer and his disciples saw Jesus nearby. John pointed him out and said "Behold the Lamb of God..." Two of John's disciples went over to Jesus and asked him where he was staying. "Come and see..." (John 1:39) Jesus replied. One of those two disciples was Andrew.

Again, we look in the Gospel of John for the death of Lazarus. Remember how Jesus finally travelled to Bethany several days after Lazarus had died. Mary and her friends met Jesus on the road and she fell down at his feet weeping. Jesus asked where they had laid Lazarus and they replied, “Lord, come and see.” (John 11:34)

There were a couple of other references for this phrase outside the Gospels, in Psalm 66:5 and Philippians 1:27. But my interest was in how this phrase was used in the Gospels.

As you can see, something important happened after the person addressed came and saw.

Nathaniel (Bartholomew) and Andrew both became members of the Twelve after meeting this man from Nazareth. Jesus was taken to the tomb of Lazarus where he called Lazarus out from death to life. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary would be the first to witness to the Resurrection of Jesus.

Don't we hear the same call to "come and see" even today in our individual lives? When we respond to God's invitation in a positive way, something wonderful happens...

A Lovely Ethnic Wedding

Last Saturday afternoon, our gospel choir witnessed and participated in a truly meaningful and spirit-filled Nuptial Mass. I doubt that our Cathedral has ever been the scene of an ethnic wedding of such beauty.

Picture if you can, the marriage of an African bride and groom in traditional American white with eleven attendants each. The women were dressed in identical ethnic African clothing with gorgeous head wraps; the men in black suits. Picture a congregation of several hundred people, most of whom wore authentic African clothing in stunning colors and designs. Many of them had come to the States from Africa for the wedding of their family member. Some could speak little or no English.

Our choir members were dressed in black with colorful kente cloth stoles that had been wrapped individually for each of us by one of our choir members who wore her own as a head wrap. We were positioned behind the altar where the organ, piano and the cathedral choirs normally stand. Microphones carried our voices out into the cavernous church.

Picture a Nuptial Mass with African customs woven into the service. I was particularly impressed with the respect given to the Scriptures. Right before the first reading, the Lectionary was processed down the center aisle by a special group of a half dozen or more attendants, again dressed in spectacular African clothing, singing an ethnic hymn complete with drumbeats. The bride and groom read the first reading themselves. It was a reading from the Song of Songs and they alternated reading the appropriate parts for each. Quite beautiful...

Because of time constraints (the Cathedral must have a regular assembly line of marriages taking place on a Saturday during the summer months), some of the music we had learned could not be sung. We followed the lead of our priest who was mindful that we needed to be finished at a certain time. One of the losses meant that the choir was not able to receive Holy Communion with the rest of the congregation since we sang during the whole of that part of the Mass.

There is much more that I could write about this beautiful Mass and wedding ceremony but I think you have probably gotten the picture of what we experienced that day. I am grateful that we were invited to sing this Mass and it is surely one we will not soon forget.

I hope to get some photos of the wedding in the next week or so and when I do, I will place a few of them on this blog.

The Longest Nuptial Mass Ever!

... well, that is what it looks like it is turning out to be; at least for our small choir! We have been asked to sing the Mass in a Catholic Church not our own... with no practice using their equipment. The couple is from Africa and will be doing some traditional things along with the normal Nuptial Mass music.

Some music that we already know is being used; but most of it is new to us. We have learned a new Kyrie, a new Gloria, a responsorial song that we have never sung before though some of us were familiar with the tune. Fortunately, we know the Grayson Brown "Alleluia" and also his "Holy, Holy"... We also are using our Great Amen. A new memorial acclamation; a new Lord's Prayer and a new Lamb of God, a new Communion song. I have no clue who wrote the music for all of these pieces because we had to learn almost everything without written music... not unusual for a Gospel choir... We made up the harmony as we went along. Our musician was writing the notes down as our director was teaching us the tunes!

We also learned a new song for Communion, as well as a special song to be sung after the exchange of rings. Fortunately, the Offertory song is one of our favorites and a second Communion song will be our choice. Thankfully, the processional and the recessional will be done by the professionals at the church. Organ music, surely. A contrast to our piano.

Last night we had a major learning rehearsel for the wedding which will be this Saturday. The music is not as difficult as some music we have learned in the past; but after 3 hours of practice, one is ready to collapse! Tomorrow we will practice for Sunday Mass and then go over the Wedding music again. That will be it!

It will be a beautiful wedding. The music will turn out just fine. Though we are a small group of about 16 (when everyone is available to sing), we have sung together for many many years so we know what to do to make the music memorable.

Good News!

From today's readings: "All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables... "

The Gospel reading was from Matthew (Mt 13:31-35) and concerned the two parables, the mustard seed and the yeast as leaven. I got to thinking about the phrase, "He spoke to them only in parables..." Why only in parables? Of course, the reading says the reason was to fulfill the words of the prophet.

However, I would add another reason too. Just think, if someone came to you and gave you a new teaching that went way beyond what you were familiar with. A bit like Jesus speaking about the Kingdom and that He was the Savior who had been promised. Wouldn't you be a little hesitant about jumping on Jesus' bandwagon. Wouldn't you wonder if Jesus wasn't a little mentally challenged? You might even shake your head and turn away because such talk could get you into trouble. Your immediate response would probably be a NO!

BUT, if Jesus spoke in parables, I might be wondering what He meant. I might begin to think about some possibilities that I had not thought of before. It might come to me more clearly after I had an opportunity to turn these ideas over in my head. Maybe Jesus meant this... Maybe Jesus meant that... What did He mean? I might even go to Him privately and ask Him to explain it a little better. I might begin to see that what Jesus was saying wasn't impossible at all. And when I spoke to Him, I suddenly realized that He was not crazy either. That His words and actions were drawing me in. That He was someone I had been yearning for. That I wanted to be a follower, a believer... and a friend.

This conversion might not have taken place without the mental questioning that a parable evokes. So I am thankful that we have so many instances in the Gospels where Jesus does use parables to instruct us. That's Good News to me!

The Need for Silence Within

Although I am a pretty active person and have been involved in a lot of things for a long time, I am still basically a loner. I am not much of a conversationalist and I use up my "small talk" rather quickly when I am in a crowd. Mostly, I would rather the other person do the talking.

I think I am more of a listener... and the fact that people often come to me to tell me about sad things they are dealing with, bears this out. I think being able to listen is a gift that I received from God long ago. By living through my own experiences, I've been able to empathize with others. I don't doubt for a second, that God is working through me when my words bring comfort to others.

I like to be alone. Not necessarily physically alone, because I am very grateful to have one of my sons living with me. He also likes his own space; so we get along quite well. We are in the same house, but not always in each other's presence. We both like it that way.

But being alone doesn't always mean silence within. It is often difficult for me to meditate at home. Even when I go to my quiet place, I am surrounded by things that I need to do or that bring to mind other times. My thoughts scatter all around before I can tame them into even a semblance of that state where my God might speak to me. Those times when I do reach that silence within, I find it is a state I cannot maintain very long. Nonetheless, I am always grateful for every second...

I would like so much to live near a church that was open during the day. It would be such a treat to be able to open those doors and enter into that sanctuary of peacefulness where Our Lord resides. There, in the quiet of His house, I could much more easily hush the noisy conversations going on in my mind and truly experience the silence within where I could listen for the whisper of His word to me.

But one must do the best one can and so, I will make do with what I have and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet my mind and guide my prayer so that no matter where I am, I will be able to attain what I yearn for so much... that silence of His presence.

The Prayer of the Church

Many years ago, in fact in the latter part of the last century, I bought a copy of Christian Prayer, the single volume of The Liturgy of the Hours. I was in a diocesan program for ministry formation at the time; so the custom of praying this Prayer of the Church was brought to our attention and encouraged.

I found it very difficult to get into the rhythm of the Hours or to understand how to use the book correctly, so eventually I gave it up and put my Christian Prayer away.

During the last couple of months, however, my desire to try to learn this prayer has again come to the fore. From others on the Internet, I learned a little more about how the hours were prayed. I also learned that there was a website called Universalis on the Web, that provided the daily prayers of The Liturgy of the Hours free of charge. I have been using this site for the past couple weeks and I think I now understand much better how this prayer works.

Soooo, I took out my Christian Prayer book and took a second look... Well, the book was as much of a mystery as before. Flipping pages and trying to locate the correct prayers and trying to figure out where to put the ribbons was going to be my downfall again! UNTIL I learned that one simply needed to buy a Christian Prayer guide for a couple dollars and the puzzle would be solved!

I now have the guide. And, I am learning how to make some sense of how everything is integrated in the prayer book. I will also continue to use the Universalis but when I wish to be truly alone in my prayer, I will be able to use the book wherever I might be...

For those of you who have thought of praying the Liturgy of the Hours but have felt it was too daunting a task to learn, have patience with yourself. Look how long it took me! The Holy Spirit surely must have pushed me to try one more time. I must not have been ready the first time; but I hope I am now...

Burdens we place on ourselves...

This morning at Mass, the priest spoke about what God has asked of us. God's only command is that we love Him with our whole being and to love those we come in contact with. It is this simple.

However, because of the baggage we bring with us from past relationships and situations, we are burdened down with much more than is required of us... Loving God and our neighbor becomes entangled with so much of our baggage, that we no longer see clearly God's simple command.

I was really struck by the reality of these words by the priest as they related to my own life. These past several days, I had been sorely troubled about several things. As I listened, it dawned on me that I was burdening myself needlessly. As soon as I realized this, the troubles fell away...

It is always amazing to me how the Holy Spirit works through others and often, in such unexpected ways.

A Date to Remember...

Forty-two years ago today, one of my children died. It wasn't unexpected. Bobby had been diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia in the Fall of 1964 at the age of three. He had actually survived longer than the average child with this disease. In those days, leukemia was a death sentence.

We had five sons and Bobby was the middle child. He endured a lot; as did we all. He was a great kid! Full of life... never let the disease get him down... until he had nothing left to give.

My family survived this loss. As those who have experienced the loss of a child know, it isn't easy. Many marriages break up after such a traumatic experience. People grieve in different ways...

We had four other sons to cherish and care for; and to try to reassure that they would not live in fear that a similar thing might happen to them. Actually, not long afterwards, one of my sons developed symptoms that frightened him. I had to take him to our doctor who kindly spoke with him and told him directly, that he had no cancer. I'm sure that throughout their childhood, this fear lurked.

Forty-two years is a lifetime for some people. A lot has happened to our family since that morning of July 15, 1967; but people often grow stronger when faced with adversity. And God took care of us...

That morning in the hospital, a doctor came into the room with a gift for me. He realized that my child would probably not live much longer. He also knew that it was my birthday...

All of my help... Psalm 121

One of the most beautiful of the Gospel songs that my choir sings is called, "All of my help" made famous by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. Here is the link to it:

All of My Help

If you take time to listen to the song, please recognize that my choir does not have an orchestra behind us and all the fancy stuff that goes into an album or video. We also have to shorten the song in order to make it an appropriate length for Mass.

However, when we sing this song, we sing it just as beautifully. It is actually Psalm 121 and it is truly a prayer. Our words go like this:

I will lift up mine eyes to the hills
From whence cometh my help...
My help cometh from the Lord;
The Lord which made heaven and earth.

He said, He would not suffer thy foot,
Thy foot to be moved...

The Lord that keepeth me,
He shall not slumber nor sleep.

Oh, the Lord is thy keeper...
The Lord is thy shade,
Upon thy right hand...
Upon thy right hand...

No, the sun shall not smite thee by day,
Nor the moon by night,
He shall preserve thy soul
Even forever more.

My help, my help, my help...
All of my help
Cometh from the Lord.


There is a little more to it but this is the basic song. I just love it and believe me, when we sing it, it is a prayer...

Light to see by...

On Wednesday evenings, I am the one who turns out the lights and locks up the church after our choir has finished rehearsing for Sunday's Liturgy.

As the last light is extinguished, I am left temporarily blinded by the total darkness. Before my eyes adjust to the darkness, I must find my way to the final sanctuary step without tripping.

For about ten seconds, I can see nothing. But one of my friends is always near that hazardous step, lighting the way with her cell phone's glow so I won't fall. She realizes that the step cannot be seen from my direction.

This weekly ritual of being in darkness and then seeing light and following it, reminds me of how God often works in our lives.

How many times have we walked in the darkness and confusion that is sin, trying to feel our way, find our way, out of the turmoil it has caused us. God's light of forgiveness dawns in our souls and His grace allows us to take another step toward Him.

"Lord, give us light to see by..."

Not what I expected...

Today I had an appointment with my SD. I left my shop an hour early because it takes me about 40 minutes to reach my destination. As usual I was looking forward to seeing him and I had some things to talk about.

So I walked in and sat in my usual chair in the lobby to wait. I never know what the traffic is going to be like so I always plan for about 15 minutes leeway. Well, the clock struck three and there I sat. After about 10 more minutes, I decided to call his cell phone... such a long wait was very unusual. No answer... Finally I saw several people come along and I asked where Fr. J. was.

Someone paged him... no response. Someone called him on his cell phone... again, no response. They finally determined that he was not in the building.

Okay, so I asked if I could sit in the chapel for awhile... Of course, someone said...

So, I spent the rest of my hour there... and it was really a godsend because I rarely am able to sit and listen to what God might want to say to me. It was very peaceful and quiet in the chapel. It is not easy to do this at home... Even if I am in a quiet place at home, my thoughts seem to connect with things I have to do there. I become easily distracted...

But today in that chapel, I could be at peace.

Up in the air about something!

I was reading Fr. Charles' interesting entry about dreams on his blog, a friar minor, today. It made me start thinking about dreams that I have had.

By the way, Fr. Charles' blog is the very best blog I have read after many excursions through the realms of Catholic blogdom. I never come away from reading his entries without a new insight into priestly life and a better understanding of how our God works through His people to bring us closer to Him. Yes, this is definitely a recommendation to visit a friar minor!

Anyway, back to dreaming... Like most people I dream in color. I have sometimes become aware during a dream that I am dreaming. That I should be able to influence what happens. And that I should be able to direct what happens next. Since I don't write down my dreams (though I did a few times long ago), I can no longer tell you where I took those particular dreams, if anywhere.

One of the more interesting dreams I had occurred during the time my mother-in-law was living with us. She was with us for thirty years and was tremendously helpful to us when my children were growing up. I had a good relationship with her until the end of her life, when her mental and physical health deteriorated. She lived into her nineties. She survived my husband by just over a month.

The dream sequence began when I realized I was in the hallway of my home. I was up in the air for some reason! And what an interesting sensation that was... to be floating around above the floor and almost to the ceiling! It took awhile to get my bearings and to figure out how to move in that position (fly?).

Well, I managed to float my way down to the living room where I noticed my mother-in-law rearranging the curtains on my big picture window. Whatever she was doing was exactly what I didn't want her to do with my curtains! I called out to her to please leave the curtains as I had them. She completely ignored me and went on doing what she was doing. I asked her again to leave the curtains alone. Then I realized that she couldn't hear me! She was in my dream but she couldn't hear me speaking. That actually was weird!

I must have awakened right after that realization, because there was nothing further to recall about the dream.

One wonders how significant our dreams are, especially when one recalls the dreams found in Holy Scriptures. Momentous happenings predicted; instructions given... one of God's ways of communicating with us.

What was I thinking of?

What in the world am I doing with another blog?

I surely must be a glutton for punishment! Believe it or not, I am now the caretaker of FOUR blogs!!! One is my parish blog and then there is my family blog, another church-related blog and this one! Good grief!

Then there is Facebook and Plurk... I can't forget those... All because I love to write.

Antique Paper Lace Holy Cards

I really love these old paper lace holy cards. My mother had a collection of these holy cards from her childhood and earlier. They are mine now... and I cherish them.

These holy cards have so much more beauty and workmanship than most of the cards of today. One or two of my holy cards even have hand painted lace. They are truly works of art from a bygone era.

There are other cards in my collection that are almost as old as the lace ones and are equally beautiful. Some of them came from pilgrimage places in Germany and are like small triptychs, opening up to show the church where people venerated a statue or shrine.

There are other holy cards that commemorate the first Mass celebrated by a newly ordained priest. Some of the cards are memorials to persons who have passed. One wonders who these people were and it is easy to whisper a silent prayer for these forgotten souls.