On the Feast of St. Michael!

Prayer For Help Against Spiritual Enemies

Glorious Saint Michael, Prince of the heavenly hosts, who stands always ready to give assistance to the people of God; who fought with the dragon, the old serpent, and cast him out of heaven, and now valiantly defends the Church of God that the gates of hell may never prevail against her, I earnestly entreat you to assist me also, in the painful and dangerous conflict which I sustain against the same formidible foe. Be with me, O mighty Prince! that I may courageously fight and vanquish that proud spirit, whom you, by the Divine Power, gloriously overthrew, and whom our powerful King, Jesus Christ, has, in our nature, completely overcome; so having triumphed over the enemy of my salvation, I may with you and the holy angels, praise the clemency of God who, having refused mercy to the rebellious angels after their fall, has granted repentance and forgiveness to fallen man.

Amen.

All about the feast day here, with links, history, coloring pages, and the entire prayer to St. Michael!

The Five People

Our crazy bunch, with our visiting friends from Germany last week. (l-r, back row - Marcel, Kevvy and his girl Ina, Theresa,
Cathy, Dominic, Brian, Raphy, and in the front row - William, Gabe, Cathy, and Anna)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uhhhhh...  Yeah.

Thankfully they're usually a little more sedate.  A little more.  Usually.

Moon Phases

My baby brother, David, named the moon "Johnny" some thirty years ago or so.  Just so you know.  His name's Johnny.  John, if you want to be more formal.  He's waning now, anyway.  (Johnny, not my brother.)  Gibbous.   

We'll see 75% of John tonight -- so, say approximately from the middle of his left eye, down to his right ear.  And half turned away from us, he'll still be luminously beautiful.  A pleasant light to frolic under in any circumstances. But this past Wednesday, on the night of the Harvest Moon, there was more than usual light to play with.  I wonder if Mr. John, our Man in the Moon, laughed out loud at the children's antics, or if he was smiling tolerantly?

See what you think.  To the poetic stylings of the great Robert Frost...

 
                                      The Freedom of the Moon
                                                                          
I've tried the new moon tilted in the air

(Cathy)

 
 
Above a hazy

                     tree-and-farmhouse cluster


As you might try a jewel in your hair.
 
 *********************************************************

(Michelle)

I've tried it fine 

                    with little breadth of  luster,

 
Alone, 

             or in one ornament combining
 
**********************************************************

(Dominic)

With one first-water start

                          
almost shining.
 

I put it shining anywhere I please.
 **********************************************************


By walking slowly on some evening later,


I've pulled it from a crate of crooked trees,

 

(Theresa)

And brought it over glossy water,

                                                     greater,

 
And dropped it in,


 and seen the image wallow,
 
 *********************************************************

(Dominic again)

The colors run, 


and all sorts of wonder follow.

*

                                         

 *

Der Mann im Mond 

(The Man in the Moon)

Here is a German legend -- actually a cautionary tale --  about the Man in the Moon.  Don't you think it's interesting that, at least in this telling, the Germans seem to discern the image on the moon to be a man bearing a bundle of wood, instead of just a smiling face?  I think their eyes are better than ours, perhaps, or their imaginations tend more to the practical!

The story goes like this... 

More than a thousand years ago, on a Sunday morning in the early fall, an old German woodman told his wife, Gretchen, that he was going after wood for the fire. She begged him not to go, for it was Sunday and they did not need the wood. The old man only laughed at her, and trudged away into the forest where no one could see him.

He cut a good bundle of wood, piled them together, tied them with a stout band, and throwing them over his shoulder, started homeward. Then he noticed that the wild creatures, that had never stirred as he entered the woods before, were now afraid of him. The birds fluttered away with a whirring noise, and an old mother hare, which he knew very well, made wonderful leaps to get herself and family out of his sight. Even a bear ran from him, instead of attacking him.

Soon he met a stranger with a sad, stern face, who stopped him.

"Don't you know that this is Sunday on earth, when all must rest from work?"

"Whether it is Sunday on earth or Monday in heaven, it is all the same to me," laughed the old man.

"Then carry your bundle forever, and as you do not care for Sunday on earth, you shall have a long Monday in heaven, where you shall be a warning to all Sabbath-breakers evermore."

Then the old man found himself swiftly rising in the air. Quick as a thought he was landed in the moon, where his wife saw him as she stood outside her door that night to watch for his coming. There he still stands bearing his bundle of wood, and as all days are Mondays in the moon, he can never Break Sunday Again.

The Adventure Begins!

These two little guys... 

Gabe and William, pictured here on Piney Trail, along the Gunnison River near our home last week -- are adventuring this week in California!  It's William's turn for the traditional "Seven-Year-Old Disneyland Trip" at Grandma and Grandpa's house, and Gabriel got to come along for the fun.  They'll hitch a ride back home with their Dad on his way home from his Vegas job on Thursday.

Follow the map below, to see where they'll be...

The World According to William

 See? By a rather circuitous route, the boys will be arriving in California via Wales, Little Rock, Texas, Alaska, Denver and Turkey.  Truly an Adventure! (I wish I were seven years old again!)

Shine On, Harvest Moon

Tonight!

 

How like a queen comes forth the lonely moon

From the slow opening curtains of the clouds

Walking in beauty to her midnight throne.

 

~ George Croley

(Irish poet, 1780-1860)
 

 *

 



Did you know there are Indian names for the moon? There are twelve in all  (Right? One for each month! Teehee!), from the strawberry moon in June to the Wolf moon in January. I'm a casual astronomer, at best, but perhaps because I'm a night owl and because I love fall, I  tingle with excitement at the news of the harvest moon's appearance every year. Especially here in Colorado with our humongous skyscapes, that big ole orange moon takes center stage, slipping up over the Raggedy Mountains to the east of us .  Like an opening night banner, it signals the beginning of fall. Time to get the apple cider mulling; time to unpack the sweaters; time to prime the furnaces.

 Our scarecrow, the venerable Jack-the-Haystack, has already joined us out on the porch and fall decorations festoon the house, inside and our. After the heat of the summer -- and a weirdly wet early September -- the air is tinging toward crisp and cool, the geese are heading south, the days are getting shorter, Starbux is selling Pumpkin Spice Lattes --  and all is right with the world.

I have to include a couple Musical Accompaniments for tonight's unveiling, of course, since  in Celtic tradition, September's moon is called the Singing Moon ~
First, the sublime: James Last's version of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata...



(Second Musical Offering Below)

Just For Fun

Here's a little MOon Trivia:
(Answers to the questions scattered throughout are at the bottom)

* The Earth's moon is the 5th largest in the entire solar system

* The size of the first moonboot footprint on the moon was 13" X 6".
1)Do you know whose foot it was?
2)Take a guess: right or left?
3) Do you know when the last moon landing took place?

* The average desktop computer contains 5-10 times more computing power than was used to land a man on the moon.

* Among the paraphernalia left on the moon is a gold-plated 33 rpm record left after the first moon landing, a number of golf balls, including the one hit by Alan Shepherd that landed about a half mile away from where it was hit. The moon is also the final resting place of the ashes of US geological scientist, Dr. Eugene Shoemaker.

(4) Extra points if you can guess what was on the gold record!


* If the moon were placed on the surface of the continental United States, it would extend from San Francisco to Cleveland (2,600 miles)

* The "Man in the Moon" is known as the "Toad in the Moon" in China.

5) Is it true or false that the Great Wall of China is the only man-made structure that can be seen from space?* The moon can appear orange at any time; its occurrence can be due to the slant of light as the moon shines through the atmosphere or the presence of dust, smoke, or pollution in the air.

* Scientists still debate the exact cause for the illusion of the enormous moon that we see at the horizon. Because the humongous rising moon is an optical illusion, it's impossible to photograph. (If you don't believe it, go out as the moon rises on Sept. 15th and see if you can capture it on your camera. Then go here to read the theories that prove why it can't be done.)

* I only weigh about 27 lbs on the moon!
(Go here to see how much you weigh)

* Going 70 mph, it would take you 135 days to drive to the moon by car.

6) Does it take more or less than a minute for light to travel from the moon to the earth?

* The moon is not actually round! It's egg shaped with the large end pointed toward earth.

7) The volume of the moon is the about the same as the volume of which ocean?

* The New Moon always rises at sunrise and the first quarter at noon. The Full Moon always rises at sunset and the last quarter at midnight.

* The saying "once in a blue moon" is based on an astronomical phenomena in which a full moon occurs twice in one month. Our next blue moon will be in December, '09.

8) How long ago was the last blue moon?

*Contrary to popular opinion, the moon is not made of cheese, but you can go here for some fun moon food recipes to celebrate the Harvest Moon.

Answers:1) Neil Armstrong's foot was the first to touch the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969.
2) It was his left foot
3) Gene Cernan was the last man to step on the moon in 1972.
4) The gold record contained the soundtrack to Camelot.
5) False. It can actually only be seen from a relatively low Earth orbit. Many other human structures, such as cities, highways and agricultural patterns, are also visible from the same height.
6) Less. In fact it takes less than half a second for light to travel from the moon to the Earth.
7) The volume of the moon is about the same as the volume of the Pacific Ocean.
8) The last blue moon was over two and a half years ago, in May of 2007.

**Check out my really great resource: Keith's Awesome Moon Page

The Riduculous:

Ollie and Stanley, gotta love 'em!


* Pics of autumn decorations coming soon!

Feast of St Joseph of Cupertino, September 18th

This is the Basilica of St. Joseph of Cupertino in Osimo, Italy, where St. Joseph's body is laid.
Close to the ceiling of the basilica is a painting of the saint levitating.

These pictures were borrowed from here, where you can also find a complete Life of St. Joseph.

St. Joseph, a saint of many miracles, is especially known for levitating while meditating on Our Lord or Our Lady. But, he was also noteworthy in his time for the fact that he was a notoriously poor student who only passed his examinations into the priesthood due to God's intercession. St. Joseph of Cupertino is, therefore, the patron saint of:

aviators,

astronauts,

pilots,

air crews,

paratroopers,

students,

anyone taking a test

Prayers to St. Joseph for Taking an Examination

O Great St. Joseph of Cupertino who while on earth did obtain from God the grace to be asked at your examination only the questions you knew, obtain for me a like favour in the examinations for which I am now preparing. In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked.
Through Christ our Lord.
St. Joseph of Cupertino, Pray for us.

Amen.

(Then, you must remember, when you succeed in the exams, to publicly thank St. Joseph of Cupertino ~ in the newspaper, for instance, or on the internet -- or you could wear a placard and walk down main street...  ;0)

Prayer to St. Joseph of Cupertino for Aviators

Dear ecstatic Conventual Saint who patiently bore calumnies, your secret was Christ the crucified Savior who said: "When I will be lifted up I will draw all peoples to myself." You were always spiritually lifted up. Give aviators courage and protection, and may they always keep in mind your greatly uplifting example.

Amen.

*This reminds me, incidentally, of a poem that is a favorite of mine, though I'm far from being an aviator. That last line just stays with me, every time I read it, and it somehow seems to link with St. Joseph, our flying saint, who did "touch the face of God".

High Flight

by John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds...and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of...wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence.

Hov'ring there, I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air.

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue

I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or even eagle flew.

And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand,

And touched the face of God.


* Post reprinted from 9/18/08

I realize I'm late to the party, but... YOLO?

What on earth does YOLO mean?
Nobody I know uses this "word" in conversation, but I keep seeing it on the internet.

SO...

Typed into Google: "What does..." and without my having even finished the sentence,

Google deduced the following question: "What does YOLO mean?"

Found out:  I'm obviously not the only out-of-the-loop dork out there wanting to know.

I do.  But this isn't what YOLO means.

This isn't it, either.  Though I do like oreos.
 (Who doesn't?)

Nope.  This isn't it.

This is it.  Pretty sure...

Because IOLO (I only live once):

1.  Start every day with prayer -- no matter what.  Even if it's just: Good morning, God. I love You!
2.   Say "I love you" often to everyone God's blessed me with, too.
3.   Never hold grudges; learn to forgive -- as I want to be forgiven.
4.   Give the last piece of bacon to someone who will appreciate it as much as I would.
5.   Smile when I don't feel like it; even if it doesn't make me feel better, it will make others feel better -- which will make me feel better.
6.   Make Sunday a real day of rest -- and of thanksgiving and love of God.
7.   Respect the gift of the life God gave me; nurture my health and that of my family.
8.   Don't waste time with needless conflict -- if I can be no use for turning negative people or situations around to the positive, just steer clear and pray.
9.   Only read books and movies that truly improve the atmosphere of my mind and soul.
10.  Feed the creative muse! Draw, write, take pictures as often as possible.
11.  Never miss a chance to have good wholesome fun.
12.  Blog more often to keep a record of this life which is speeding by so quickly!

A Coffee Story in Memes

A Mother's Meditations on the Seven Sorrows

The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady are an interesting meditation, especially considering how very different Our Blessed Mother's sorrow must have been from sorrow as we generally understand it. All of the experiences of Mary's life were colored by her complete, unquestioning surrender to the Will of God. She was not affected by any of the vices of thought or deed that we are prone to due to original sin, but her knowlege and understanding were far keener. The sorrow she felt was unselfish and true. I can't help but think that her sorrow must be largely for us and, especially for those who do not save their souls...

I don't consider myself an authority in any way on the Bible, or the life of Our Blessed Mother, or theology, or much, in fact, except maybe diaper changing and laundry. What follows are just some of my random thoughts and impressions on the Seven Sorrows, and what lessons I found in thinking about them today.

The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Mother:

1) The Prophesy of Simeon, in which he foretold to Our Blessed Mother that her child was "set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted; and thy own soul a sword shall pierce..."

As a mother, this immediately brings to mind for me the terror and worry I would have for the future if someone said those same words to me. I'd be a nervous wreck! But, we know for a certainty that Jesus' Mother didn't worry. At most she "wondered at those things which were spoken concerning Him." If we place our complete trust in God as she did, we can have no worry for our future. Of course we'll need to ask her help in this. It doesn't come as naturally to us with our fallen human natures. But, that is why God has been so good to us to give us the help of all our Heavenly family, and especially His Mother, Our Mother, who has such a tender love for us.
Learn not to worry!

2) The Flight of the Holy Family into Egypt

Oh, wow, this is a hard one. Imagine your husband wakes you up in the morning and says, "Pack up, dear. We're going to Egypt." You have a new baby, and your bank account is not just low, it's nonexistent. You don't know a soul in Egypt, and you will have to walk or ride a donkey across a desert to get there. But, you go. Mary went. I doubt she even asked any questions of St. Joseph, but started packing their meager belongings immediately. This not only teaches us abandonment, once again, to the Will of God, but obedience to our husbands!

In the God-given roles of husband and wife, the Bible makes it very clear what is expected of each of us. We are a team, yes, because our skills and roles were designed to complement one another. My job, as a wife and mother is to tend to the details of the family and to love and honor my husband; my husband's job is take care of the big decisions and to cherish his wife and family. Do we consult one another on these things? Of course we do, or it'd be a miserable existence for both of us. But the final word on where my husband takes a job, for instance, belongs to my husband, while what we have for dinner and how the children are dressed rests mainly in my hands. This is an arrangement I am blessed to be able to comply with, as I have a Godly husband. For this I need to be grateful. And to be content to obey.

The Mother of God is our best example for fulfilling and obeying the demands of our stations in life.

3) The Losing of the Child Jesus in the Temple

This sorrow (which accompanies the the 4th Joyful Mystery) has always given me comfort in a way. Picture the scenario: You're traveling with a large group of family members and friends, on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, a very large and unfamiliar city. On the way home, you're sure you'd seen your twelve year old son in the group at departure, so aren't worried when you don't spot him again throughout the day. You assume he's with friends in the company. But, at the end of the day you can't find him. You go all the way back to Jerusalem to look for him. You're frantic. How could you have left him behind? Finally, you go back to the Temple, and there He is, surrounded by a group of church scholars, deep in conversation.

Didn't He know that you had to be concerned for Him? How could He not have known that you were looking for Him?? When you ask Him, His answer is strange and somewhat vague: Why were you looking for me? Didn't you know I had to be about my Father's business?

Alllrighty then! How do you answer that one? I think that Our Blessed Mother and holy St. Joseph knew better than to be terribly miffed; this was no ordinary boy they were raising. But, there is the comfort for me... If Our Lady and St. Joseph had trouble with their adolescent, who am I to be surprised when my teenagers give me pains? And who better for me to call upon in my distress over them?

Our Blessed Mother is our best counselor on child rearing!

4. The Blessed Mother meets her Son on the Way to Mount Calvary

This scene, as it plays in my mind, is heartbreaking. How can we, as mothers, even imagine the horror? Our dearest child is suffering unimaginably, and we are unable to do anything to help! We can only watch. Or is that all that His Mother did? Sometimes we are faced with situations in our lives over which we truly have no control. Our loved ones suffer, we suffer, and though we may not be able to change the earthly situation, we can affect the landscape of our own souls by prayer. When Our Blessed Mother followed Our Lord up the hill to Calvary, I believe she filled all the sorrow of that time with some of the Earth's most fervent prayer. Prayer, I bet, mostly that God's Will be done. We can affect change through prayer. Prayers left in Our Lady's hands will always be perfectly handled and distributed.

When all else fails, pray!

5) The Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord on the Cross

When I meditate on Our Lord's three hours on the cross, I am always glad that His Mother was not alone there. How her mother's heart must have been breaking. And, though the mystics tell us she was constantly surrounded by angels, how comforting it must have been, in a human way, to have the arm of St. John around her shoulders in that awful time. How good it must have been that the other women were there at the foot of the cross, mourning with her. I know she was aware of their sorrow, and that they had ultimate concern for her at that time as well. The company of our friends in the Faith should never be taken for granted. Though we have the ever-ready help of the heavenly court, it's important to remember that oftentimes, God answers our prayers through concrete comfort and help.

God often gives His help through His friends here on earth!

6) The Body of Our Lord is Taken Down from the Cross and Laid in the Arms of His Mother

How bittersweet these moments must have been. Our Lady's heart must have been drowning in sorrow; she must have already begun simply to miss Jesus' earthly presence near her. But, she knew, too, that His suffering was over and that He was now with His Heavenly Father, His mission on Earth was completed. It is always so touching and deeply meaningful to me to see how God gives Christ to us through His Mother. She bore Him, through the Holy Ghost, and brought Him into the world. After His sacrifice on Calvary, the Body of Christ was laid in her arms. I like to think that His Mother must be present, too, in a way, at every Holy Communion.

Who can better help us prepare for the Sacrament of His Body and Blood than His Holy Mother?

7) The Burial of Jesus

In another example of Christian charity and practical solicitude, it appears the friends of Mary took chief responsibility for the preparation of Our Lord's body for death. Perhaps Our Lady looked on as they gathered together spices and someone located fine linen in which to wrap His precious body. I imagine she was grateful, but not surprised, when Joseph of Arimethea eagerly contributed his own new tomb. Everything had to be taken care of quickly, because the Sabbath was fast approaching, but everything was done as carefully and perfectly as possible. Do we prepare ourselves with as much care when we approach the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist? Do I take the time and trouble to fast appropriately? Do I really try my hardest to understand the great privilege of this sacrament? How can I complain to myself that it's too difficult to focus on my prayers when I'm hungry and the children are acting up and I'm in a bad mood... relative to the scene on that Friday?

We should carefully prepare ourselves body, mind and soul both to receive Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, and to meet Him someday at the end of our lives.

* Reposted from September, 2007 -- one of the first I ever posted on this blog!

The Holy Name of Mary

I remember when I was a little girl being jealous of girls named Mary. It was the highest of honors to share a name with the Queen of Heaven and the fact that Lisa is a derivative of Mary's dear and holy cousin, Elizabeth hadn't hit home for me yet. Dang it all, anyway. I wanted to be named Maria! Alas! It was not to be.

But I was consoled by the fact that my birthday got to be in the perfect spot, right between Our Lady's birthday and the feast of the Holy Name of Mary. And my birthstone is a saphire ~ Ha! Blue is Mary's color! So I had that going for me, too. So, in spite of recent tragic events. September 11th is still a pretty darn good day to have been born.

I love all feasts of Our Lady, but I think today's is a feast especially beautiful in concept and imagery. The Holy Name of Mary. To think of her name, to speak it, is to join in the music of Heaven!

Thoughts on the celebration: Though we aren't going to be able to do it up big today, in past years, we have celebrated this feast day with high tea, including blueberry scones with clotted cream, and other confections in the theme of white and blue. We decorated with white roses, made Our Blessed Mother's statue a special crown for the day and along with the rosary, recited the Litany of Our Lady, honoring Our Heavenly Mother through many of her titles and virtues. One year, we bought an inexpensive plastic white tablecloth for our tea party and wrote on it all of her titles from the litany with a blue sharpie. Today, each of us chose our favorite title of Mary and found a corresponding image on the computer to print out. We backed our pictures with construction paper, found a prayer to go with each, and covered them with contact paper to make our very own holy cards.

The images (at top and bottom) that I posted here today represent two of my most favorite titles for Mary. Do you know what they are?

**Oh, Oh! I forgot to link Charlotte's coloring pages for the day! Thanks again, Diva of the Catholic Crayon Set, for these wonderful Saints' Day projects!

(Repost from 2008)