Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

One thing that I feel I never obtain enough of, is rest. I work 40+ hours a week. Some of those hours are done during the middle of the night. I rear three boys, alone, and those three boys are home schooled by me. So, sleep or rest, is something that is at a premium for me. Yet, when I think I can not go another moment without completely collapsing from exhaustion, I remember that Christ always offers rest to the weary. I only have to remember that Christ will always give rest to the weary if only I ask. Many times, I forget to ask for help or to ask for rest. It is a flaw of mine which I work diligently to change. It is so simple, yet, so difficult. It requires humility to recognize I need rest. A respite from this world which can be obtained from prayer. A simple prayer and recognizing Christ is in charge. It is a relief. I find rest in the arms of Christ, when I am at my weakest and most fatigued. I am not alone in this world, despite what I may think.

So, I want to offer to every one; rest. Rest which is not obtained from sleep, but rest from our anxieties, disappointments or whatever fatigues our soul. Those of us who have accepted Christ as our Lord and Saviour have found rest in Jesus. Those who have not, can receive rest if they come to Him. He promises to give rest to the weary. Let us gladly accept what He desires to freely give us. Jesus wants to give us rest. He died on the cross for our salvation and our sins. Why would he not want to provide you with rest?

You do not need to buy, beg, borrow or steal to obtain it. It is free. You can receive it as a gift from God. God's grace, a gift from heaven, just for you! Jesus will set you free. He will set you free from the bonds which prevent you from rest. If you are burdened with sin, anxiety, sorrow... come to Him, He will give you rest. He carried the crushing weight of humanities sin so that you and I no longer have to carry it. Jesus gives us rest! Come to Jesus by praying to Him. Believe in God’s Word, the Gospel, and surrender yourself to Him.

If you come to Him, the respite He gives you will be Holy and eternal. He gives you rest which leads you to Him in heaven. He offers respite to all who call upon him. And best of all He gives it freely. So, call upon the Lord, if you are ready to rest.

May the peace of the Lord be with you,

Agape

Abigail

God in this world

God in this world. Today I want to explore one of my favorite things; Nature. I love Nature. Nothing makes me feel more at peace or closer to God than when I am out being a part of His glorious creation. I have a profound sense of how incredible God is and how perfect everything in His creation is.

I love to hike. As I wander through the forest, I see trees, flowers, birds... Each thing has it's purpose and is intermingled with all the other things. Birds need the trees for their nests, and twigs and leaves to make their nests. The trees need the birds to help spread the seeds. Everything is so perfectly tuned for survival. There is no way this is a random occurrence which occurred because of chance and coincidence.

I ponder the explanations given by science, how the universe was created because of a random chance which caused the "Big Bang" which then created this perfectly ordered universe. It is so far fetched to me. How can a random act create order? Randomness begets randomness? There is nothing to create order. Chaos does not become orderly because of a random occurrence. That is like me saying my children behave and have sense of morality because they just happened to think of it. They did not learn morality and etiquette because of chance, but because of persistence and an orderly process of education, religion and parenting. None of those things are random. Quite to the contrary, very deliberate and intentional.

The green leaves of the trees converting carbon dioxide to oxygen by using sunlight. Oxygen which I need to breathe. As I exhale I release carbon dioxide which is needed by the plants for conversion of sunlight to glucose. How perfect! An incredible symbiotic relationship that randomly occurred? Nitrogen in the soil binding to the microfilaments of roots and absorbed and converted to nutrition for the plant which is then consumed by the cow which absorbs the nitrogen and stores it in the blood and flesh which I then consume as a juicy rare steak. I absorb the nitrogen and utilize it as an essential mineral necessary for my health. All random?

Why is it that we all love the beauty of nature. For those of us who live in the cities and do not get out into nature much, we yearn for it. Why? Whether or not we acknowledge God as our creator, our souls do. Our souls recognize the beauty of creation and our creator, God.

I climb to the peak of the mountain and I survey the valleys, lakes and other mountain peaks. Sometimes I can see as far as another state if the view is clear enough. I am belittled at how all things are intermingled and intertwined and can not exist without eachother. The grass cling to the rocks and with water, sunlight and time the rock becomes soil which is utilized by the larger plants and the cycle continues until we have beautiful meadows filled with trees. The snow melts and becomes water, which is filtered and purified as it trickles through the rocks, making it so clean we can drink it. The water provides an environment for fish, which I then catch and eat. Nature is bountiful. God's love is bountiful. He created this universe in which our planet exists.

He created this incredible Earth which provides us with everything we could desire or need. His abundance and love for humanity is abundant. We as humanity have a duty to be stewards to this Earth. It is so upsetting when I see exploitation of the Earth. Food can be farmed and restoration of the soil can occur at the same time. Animal husbandry can occur while maintaining a humane environment for the animal. We can mine for gold, silver, copper... and still restore to the earth what we have taken away. If we do all things for financial profit only, the Earth (God) will not continue to give to humanity. Resources will be depleted. God has provided us with this Earth and He will continue to provide us with all the resources we need, as long as we are good stewards of this Earth. One must balance profit with conservation. Never has it been more apparent than it is now. We are struggling with an Earth that is being exploited for profit, for personal gain and very little conservation is occurring. Humans can exist with this Earth and we can continue to reap from the Earth whatever resources we need, but we must restore and conserve them. Otherwise, the Earth will not continue to supply us with our needs.

God's desire to have a relationship with us is evident. He provides for us, and has created this incredible Earth for us. It does not take very much extra effort on our part to show God how much we appreciate this Earth and demonstrate our appreciation with stewardship.

Peace of the Lord be with you,

Agape

Abigail

Gallup, NM

Earlier today, my Aunt posted some pictures from her train ride from L.A. to Michigan. She posted pictures of NM and I instantly recognized the area. It reminded me of just last year when I was on assignment in Gallup, NM.

This is an interesting little town. Definitely caught between two cultures and eras. Gallup, NM is in the northwest corner of NM, about 10 miles from the Arizona state line along I-40. The Navajo Nation lies against the northern city limits of the city and the Zuni Nation is about 20 miles southwest of town. Gallup was founded as a railroad community and was named after the paymaster for the railroad. The railroad is still a major function of this town.

When we arrived it appeared as many other southwestern towns, poor, rundown and desperately trying to pull on the tourism industry. Other than the railroad, I couldn't discern what industry was driving the economy here.

My boys quickly fell in love with this town. Despite it's meager appearance, it had so much culture to offer. This town is definitely stuck in the early 1900's when the railroad was important for trade. There are many Indian trade stores along the main street. We had much enjoyment perusing these stores. Every night during the summer in the Town Square (which was only 2 blocks from where we were staying) there were Indian dances. The dancers would dance, discussions of the meaning of the dances would be embedded in the dances. Indian musicians would play the drums and flutes. This was a highlight of our day. We would make every effort to attend the dances. It was amazing how the whole town and tourists would surround this square for one hour and cultures would mingle harmoniously. Definitely God working His magic!

My one son reminisces about how we could, and would, walk everywhere. It is definitely a walking community. Everyone walks everywhere. It is a small city and many places were easier to walk to than drive. My boys would walk up to the hospital and visit me for lunch or come at the end of the shift and we would drive home together. We walked to Mass at the Cathedral on Sunday mornings. We walked to the library, store, you name it, we walked there.

One of the places we would routinely walk to was to the train tracks. We would sit on the wall and watch the trains come through. We would count how many cars were being pulled. Some trains would come through town traveling fast, others slow. We would see Amtrak and the boys would beg me take them on a train ride. We would watch the light signals and wager which track the train would be on. I even laid a couple of quarters and pennies on the track and we watched the trains run over the coins. After the train passed we would go pick up the coins and it was amazing how the coins would be pressed, distorted and smooth. We enjoyed sitting and watching the trains. It was simple entertainment, and great family bonding time. We would wander our way back to the house. Sometimes stopping for ice cream or a soda.

Culturally, things were very different. The population of the town is roughly 1/3 European, 1/3 hispanic and 1/3 American Indian. The architecture, and art was Indian and southwestern. Alcoholism was very predominant and it was not unusual to see drunk persons wandering the streets during the day, evening or night. The American Indians are very friendly, spiritual people. They see beauty everywhere and I always loved to hear them talk about nature and their relationship with nature.

Mother Earth, the female rains, the desert bride and other endearments they gave to the land, weather, seasons and geography. I think it is something that most of us Americans have lost. We do not look out our windows and see the geography around us and consider it our "Mother." That like a mother, it nurtures, feeds, shelters and loves us. If we did, we wouldn't be so willing to plumage and pillage the Earth. I was always very envious of the Indians when they would speak of nature. Their eyes would become distant and dreamy as they spoke of the world around them. They have a spirituality and depth of love for this Earth that I have never seen before. I understand why they have resentment and anger towards the Europeans who settled their land and didn't understand the strong connection to the Earth that they have.

The terrain and geography of the southwest is amazing. We went to several National Monuments and National parks, such as Chaco Canyon, El Morro, Canyon De Chelley, Fire and Ice, Mesa Verde...

Annually in Gallup, is the Inter Tribal Ceremony. We were able to go and watch the dances and peruse the vendors. We saw Paul McCartney and his new girlfriend who happened to be driving through town and stopped to attend the Ceremony. We drove out to Window Rock, AZ (The Capital of the Navajo Nation) on National Code Talker day. There was a celebration and dances at the Window Rock (A sacred rock formation with a window in it) honoring the Navajo Code Talkers who served in WWII and were quite possibly the reason we won the War of the Pacific.

I also learned how the American Indians live in third world conditions. I was appalled at how the United States has this dirty little secret. We are so concerned about the third world countries and the poverty they experience and yet, right here within our own borders we have millions of people who live without running water, no electricity, cook over a wood fire, and use outhouses. I was amazed. We wouldn't tolerate this kind of poverty and neglect in any city.

Here in the wealthiest nation we have a subculture who we just sweep under the rug. They are out on the reservations, so what the heck? They are governed by tribal laws, yet local, state and federal governments impede any kind of progress which allows these persons to have these basic amenities. I still do not understand how and why these people allow this to happen to them. Other than they have been so mistreated by the Europeans (Americans) who settled this land and made them walk the "Trail of Tears" to these reservations and here they remain, attempting to remain "Persons of the Earth" while struggling to be an American and live as a western society.

They are a simple, peaceful, spiritual people. We have never incorporated them into our society. We put them out on the reservations and have essentially forgotten about them. Their culture is strong and it thrives despite what the rest of the United States does. When ever I hear an African American or Hispanic American speak of how mistreated they are in American society, I am angered. These ethnic groups do not face the challenges the American Indians do.

I have been blessed to have had the opportunity to work amongst these people and serve them providing them with healthcare. These people gave more to me, culturally, spiritually and respectfully than I ever could give them in a lifetime. The beautiful land and the beautiful people of the Navajo and Zuni Nations who taught me about my nations history, culture and most of all about humanity. God bless them all.

Agape,

Abigail

Must have a personal relationship

Tonight, I am going to attempt to blog. Right now my house is filled with chaos. The boys are excited and anticipating the first snow of the year. Unfortunately, the storm has not arrived as anticipated by the weather man. So, every 2 seconds somebody is jumping up and looking out a window to see if the snow has started. Then the soliloquy's begin. "When it snows I am going to...." Needless to say, today's schoolwork is still in progress and I do not see it being completed any time soon. The other distractor seems to be the Matt Maher CD "Alive Again." If they are not talking about the impending snow they are singing lyrics from the CD. There is like this non stop chatter, singing, chatter thing going on. I am severely craving some quiet.

There is a restlessness in the house tonight. Even the cats and dog are in on it. The dog keeps looking out the window, maybe wondering what her pups (the boys) are looking at. The cats, who are usually very quiet and rarely seen, have been running around the house chasing each other. So, when the cats run by, the dog has to follow chase. Ever seen a Great Dane chase a cat around a house. It may seem amusing to an outsider, but very nerve racking to me. Kind of like a "bull in the china store" syndrome. So, for me tonight, concentration is at a premium.

Nonetheless, I will attempt this thought I have been pondering since Mass on Sunday. First of all, it is a small world. I am currently on assignment in Heber Valley/Park City UT. I have been trying to find a Catholic church to go to. Went to the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City. It is a beautiful Cathedral, the artwork in a southwest flair . Interesting architecture, artwork, but very impersonal and a long drive up and over the mountain.

Went to the church in Park City. That will be a one time experience. Did not appreciate the priest being openly disobedient to the Bishop and the Catholic Church. After his homily was about how he is openly gay and we are free to worship any way we want, he then wondered why there were not many kids enrolled in the RCIA program. Uh, duhh!!!!! Still scratching my head how this priest has been able to remain in the priesthood.

So, on to the little Catholic Church in Heber City whose only Mass is bilingual. I have to admit, I wasn't really all that thrilled about going. But, I believe it is important to spend time with God, and that communion is necessary to keep one's life in step with Christ. So, we went. And guess what? Just like Goldilocks, this one was just right. It was similar to my Parish in China Spring, TX, which is small. close knit, but very friendly to visitors. The Priest a young hispanic fellow who was obviously not an English speaker as his native tongue. He was little difficult to understand, but very personable, and the fire of God was within him and that made me very happy. After Mass I had a chance to speak with him and found out that a year ago he was a Priest in the Diocese of Austin, TX. HELLO! That is the Diocese where my Parish is located. Reminded by God that this world is smaller than we think. We reminisced for a few minutes about things back in TX. He reminded me of Fr. Guajardo at St.Philips in China Spring, TX. Very welcoming and very approachable.

During the sermon he mentioned to the congregation how we needed to have a personal relationship with God and that we need to teach our children to be prayerful and to lead by example. This Priest was not preaching to the choir. I believe whole heartedly. One must have a relationship with God. A prayer life. A way of knowing spiritually that God exists not just intelectually. St Anselm, in not so easy language, discussed how one must have a relationship with God. "True knowledge, which is never the fruit of aseptic thoughts, but of a contemplative intuition." - St Anselm.

I believe we need to have a prayer life. One can know all about God, read all about God, hear all about God, but will never "know God's existence" in their own life if they do not have a prayer life.

As parents it is even more important we have a prayer life. Our children are constantly watching us, deciding which behaviors they should follow. It is very difficult to tell a child to be prayerful and "Christian like" when we as parents don't even have a prayer life and we disregard our Christian beliefs and live a life "of this world." If we want our children to be followers of Christ we must lead them to Christ, and we lead them by example.

Dust off the Bible and open it. Read from it. Discuss it. God fordbid, a Catholic should memorize a verse or two like our Protestant counterparts. Learn the Ten Commandments and live by them. My boys are far from perfect, but they do have a moral compass unlike their peers. It is difficult to keep this compass pointed in the correct direction "The world," teases them and entices them and at times they do not know which path to take. They have given into temptation, but forgiveness occurs and then a frank and open discussion about why it is wrong in a Christian manner (10 Commandments) occurs. Living a life according to God, the Commandments, a family prayer life and setting an example will show your children how to have a relationship with God. We, ourselves, must have a prayer life and relationship with God, first.

So, my conclusion for tonight is. PRAY. At times, like tonight in my household, it may be difficult to find time for prayer, or soothe the savage, restless souls. And, of course, one can not spend all of their time in prayer, but one must incorporate it into their daily life. Right now I am praying that is snows before bedtime, because I do not think I will have the ability to get these boys into bed, otherwise. Second, One never knows where God wants us to be, so we must leave ourselves open to HIm to guide us. He guided us to St Lawrence Catholic Church in Heber City, UT which I honestly did not think it was going to be a good fit. But hey, what do I know. Obviously, God wanted us there. The Priest invited my boys to alter serve, since St. Lawrence didn't have any alter servers and my boys have been altar servers at St. Philips. I guess this will be our place of worship while we are on assignment here in UT.

Come snow, come.

LIFE IS EVANESCENT

This morning, as I was driving home from work, I witnessed a horrific accident between three semi trucks. Two of them, both pulling double trailers of fuel collided into a fiery plume of smoke and fire. The scariest thing about it, is not only was I the first vehicle behind these three trucks, I had minutes earlier thought about passing them up, but changed my mind and decided to drive a little slower than usual and enjoy the drive and the dawn that was breaking. If I had followed through on my original thoughts, I doubt I would be here recounting this drama.

So, let me back up. Last night, I pulled a twelve hour night shift. It was the perfect kind of busy. I was busy, but not so busy where I couldn't enjoy a little conversation and coffee. I helped deliver two babies during the shift, and was feeling a "nurses high." Similar to a "runner's high." When I walked out to the parking lot, there were several hot air balloons launching, the cold, near freezing mountain air filling my lungs, and the sun rising over the mountains, perfected my "high." I was blissfully "in the moment," truly feeling God's presence and wanting to remain in this moment as long as possible. I was tired, but feeling energized at the same time. I got into my car and put on some worship music and turned up the volume loud, so I could sing out as loud as I desired.

The trip home requires me to drive US Hwy 40 from Heber City, UT to Park City, UT where I then head East for a few miles to Deer Mountain, UT. The stretch from Heber City to Park City is about 10 miles and is a steady steep climb gaining about 3,000 feet in elevation. This stretch of highway is always busy with truck traffic, most of the trucks pull double trailers of fuel from the refineries to the distribution centers. Theses trucks due to their heavy loads are slow moving vehicles, traveling about 20-30 mph up the mountain. The posted speed limit is 65 and most personal vehicles are traveling 50-75 mph up the mountain, depending on how badly they want to stress the engines of their vehicles or be ticketed by the state police who patrol this stretch well.

I usually travel at about 55-60 mph up the mountain and do my best to stay in front of the slow moving trucks. This morning due to my "high" I was traveling a little slower than usual and was willing to remain behind the tankers. Approximately, half a mile ahead of me were three trucks. There were two double trailer tankers and a truck pulling an empty flat bed trailer. The one tanker, who was in the left lane, was able to maintain a faster speed than the other tanker, who was in the right lane. Behind the tanker in the right lane, was the truck pulling the empty flat bed trailer, and due to his light load was able to climb faster than the tanker in front of him. The Flat bed trailer pulled over into the left lane where the truck pulling a double tanker was in the process of passing him. The truck pulling the flat bed trailer obviously was not aware that the truck that just passed him had a second trailer in tow. This caused the the semi with the flat bed trailer to collide with the tanker in the left lane, who then drove off the road into the median and then jack-knifed and caused him to collide with the tanker in the right lane. Four tanks of fuel immediately erupted into a horrendous ball of flames and smoke.

I watched this whole thing take place right before me. I knew the accident was going to occur when I saw the truck with the flat bed trailer change lanes, unaware that the truck that was passing it had a second trailer. I was able to stop safely and I think the rest of the traffic realized that a collision was inevitable between these three vehicles, because traffic behind me and these trucks came to a quick stop without causing chaos or another collision.

As a nurse, it has become second nature to respond in an emergency or crisis. I don't think about it, I just respond. I was a paramedic before I had kids and always keep an emergency response kit in the trunk of the car. I have the knowledge, skill and equipment to respond, and yet, I can't even approach the scene to offer assistance due to the huge fire that is now blazing from spilled fuel. 911 was called and police, fire, ambulance and hazmat crews are dispatched and respond relatively quickly. The ambulance crews don't even bother with rescue and it was obvious that all were deceased when a hurst arrived on scene to take the remains to the county morgue. I am interrogated by the police and give my report of how the incident occurred. I get back into my car and breakdown.

I am frustrated by how all it takes is one persons stupidity to destroy, what is precious: life. I am ridden with guilt, because I wanted to help, I was capable to help, but I was unable to do anything, but watch. The nurse in me is angered that I had to standby and do nothing.

I am shaken to my core. I could have been caught up in that accident if I had not been content to just enjoy the drive. I think of how my children would have awoke to no mother returning home from work. They would have called work wondering why I was not home and would have begun to panic when they were told I left a while ago. How long would it be before they knew what happened to me. These three children who would have nobody to care for them. They would have been left parentless. I am sobbing at this point, unable to hold back the tears that are streaming down my face. I feel so vulnerable and exposed.

I am once again angered, by the stupidity of it all. One persons carelessness, altered the course of the lives of the three truck drivers and their families. I am left with the visual, auditory, and olfactory memories of the collision. I am unnerved by it all. So, thankful my guardian angel protected me and kept me behind these trucks instead of being in the midst of them. I weep tears for the families of the these three men. The wives, children, parents, siblings and all of those who loved these men and will miss them. I mourn for the loss and emptiness they will experience. I pray for the repose of the souls of these three men. I pray that their families will find comfort in the Lord, during this time of brokenness and healing. I pray that they forgive me for not doing anything to help.

I somehow make it home in a daze. I sit in the car and regain some sort of composure before going into the house. I find my children snug in their beds, unaware, innocent to the tragedy and near miss that could have robbed them of their mother. I kiss their faces, they stir slightly and open a sleepy eye. I tell them I love them and they snuggle back into their blankets and they drift back to sleep, comforted by the presence of their mother. I go to my room. I bury my face into my pillows and cry and release the tension, anxiety and fear. I ask for God to wrap his arms around me and allow me to cry on his shoulder. I ask him to protect me and my family.

I want to ask, "Why?," but don't. I know that God will not answer. The answer is not for me to know.

I take to my heart that life is a precious gift, that is tenuous and temporary; evanescent. Every day we live is an incredible gift that we should thank God for and show our thanks by loving our families and all of God's family. A reminder to cherish the ones we love.

Praise be to God, from whom all things come.

Agape

Abigail

Catechism

Sometimes, one of the ways we know we are growing or changing is by taking on challenges which scare us. For example, yesterday I took my boys to the Utah State Fair. After perusing the animal barns and the vendor booths, I let my boys go to the midway. The whole time we were there all they could talk about were which rides they were going to ride. So, when they were allowed to ride the rides they ran to the line of the scariest "thrill ride." Interestingly enough, as it came time to get on the ride, I could see that fear and anxiety were becoming an issue. True to their personalities they accepted or deferred the challenge of getting on the ride. My oldest, who is more cautious and more fearful backed out, just as it was time to hand over his tickets and get on the ride. He sheepishly walked back toward me and began to cry, because he was humiliated he was not brave enough. My middle son, who is my daredevil, got on, but he was not going to sit by his brother's. He was going to prove to everybody he was brave and could conquer any challenge on his own. My youngest son who, unwittingly, was duped by his brother's ended up on the ride sitting all by himself. I could tell by the look on his face that he was scared to death. I couldn't help but chuckle slightly as I realized his predicament. Then I worried if he wold tolerate the ride not having the encouragement of his brother's to remain brave, despite being scared to death. The ride started and I could see my youngest hanging on for dear life with pure terror on his face. Too scared to move, he just clung to the bar for dear life. My middle son was whooping and hollering having the time of his life and loving the independence of his bravery. When the ride was over and they disembarked the ride, my middle son was full of excitement and gave us a second by second reenactment of the ride. My youngest son, walked to me and very stoically informed me that the ride was very scary and he never wanted to ride it again. He didn't cry as I predicted. I was amazed how mature he was being about it. I had anticipated him to cry as soon as he got to me. He didn't. I was impressed how grown up he was about it and then had pangs of sorrow, my baby didn't need me, as much as I thought. He is growing up.

So, it is the same with our faith formation. I have been taking on newer tasks and responsibilities in regards to my faith formation and the faith formation of my children. And each time I take on a new aspect of my faith formation, I am riddled with anxiety. I turn to Christ and tell Him I am scared and like a parent he comforts me. I know I must mature and grow in my relationship with God. As I grow, my anxieties will decrease, and I will turn to Christ and tell Him that this is the scariest thing I have ever done but I will not cry. And unlike me, He won't cry that I don't need Him as much, because my need for Him will endure. I will simply change in how I need Him. Just as my son's need for me will endure, his need for me merely change.

My newest challenge is the reading of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This is a document over 900 pages long and probes every aspect of Catholicism. No easy task. I have decided I need to do this to help me understand why I believe what I believe and also to teach my children. I am drawn to the Papal Encyclicals and writings from the scholars of the Church. In drawing closer to God, I need to know more about God. I realize this is a daunting task, but I am compelled to move forward with this task. I pray God will give me insight and endurance as I delve deeper into the mysteries of faith and then give me the ability to teach my children and others about what I have learned. To let the world know about God's intense and intimate love for each and everyone of us. I know God has a love for all of humankind and He desires all people to seek Him and grow in their love for Him.

This where I stand today. As I stare at this book in front of me. I am intimidated by it, yet intrigued to find out how I will find God's immense grace for me. I am moved to tears to think anyone could love such a broken and sinful person as me. This little person I am, being called by God to move toward a more personal relationship with the One who is the Great I am. My desire for God is written in my heart and the truth and happiness I seek can only be found in God. I just want to mover ever closer to the heart of my God. He calls and I must follow. How much scarier can that be!

May the blessings of God be upon you all,

In the loving arms of Christ and the Father,

Agape,

Abigail

and a sword will pierce your own heart Luke 2: 35

Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, "This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Isreal, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed - and a sword will pierce your own soul too." Luke 2: 34-35

Mary, my Blessed Mother, oh how your soul was pierced by the sword as you suffered at the feet of your Son on the cross.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is honored and revered by Catholics. Her humility, obedience and then suffering gives us a role model of true obedience to Him. I myself ask Mary to intercess for me and my children. I know that as a, mother, Mary knows the challenges that I face, the frustration and the sorrow that I encounter. The vulnerability of the souls of my children in this world where God is dismissed is protected by the Holy Mother , who intercesses on my behalf to her Son, Jesus Christ. I pray that I have the love and strength to parent my children through all the difficulties as Mary did.

I am always almost brought to tears when I think of Mary watching her son being beaten, tortured and then crucified on the cross. But, as always God brings us grace through suffering. Mary suffered so she could finish her purification and path to holiness and be worthy of God. For she is the mother of His son. Never did she say no to Him. Maybe through my challenges and suffering as a mother I can be cleansed and purified and made worthy of God and learn obedience to God.

Agape

Abigail Ferrill