My Mother Unexpectedly Passed Away Today: Initial Reflections

My mother unexpectedly passed away today.  Please keep her in your prayers.  Yvette Laplante.
I will miss her dearly.  I am still grappling with all the feelings and thoughts that are coming to the surface. 

Our Lady of Sorrows

     "What?  Mom died?  She can't have died.  She was supposed to be here for another ten years, at least.  75 is too young to die."

     "Mom, you can't be gone.  I want to hug you one more time.  I want to tell you I love you... Oh my gosh, did I tell you I love you at Thanksgiving?"

     "I guess that leaves the rest of us, us six children and seven grandchildren.  Well, Mom, I'm not ready to be in charge.  I want you here, with us.  What could God have possibly been thinking?"

I know I'm being a bit selfish, but I can't seem to be anything but selfish right now.  It's too painful.  It hurts too much.  I just want my mother back.

     "Mom, I am so glad you got to retire and enjoy your life in an unstressed manner.  You of all people deserved that.  It was such a grace to see you happy and relaxed.  Thanks for giving that to me, and more importantly, thanks for giving it to yourself."

     "You were supposed to be with us to celebrate Christmas, remember?  We're doing a Yankee Swap."

My mother was a lapsed Catholic.  It is with the virtue of hope that I pray for the salvation of her soul.  I hope you will pray for her too.


"Our Lady of Sorrows, as you wept for your Son Jesus on the Cross, please weep for my mother so that your tears transform her Judgment Day into one of Heaven.  Please be with her as she travels from this world to the next."


In JMJ+,
Kathleen

... I love you, Mom.

 

images - http://puffin.creighton.edu/jesuit/andre/images/t_sorrows.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_krNaopljEIoh0Ab9hg1DQbnk3jjBbgWh1ZZACpbN4j2u6Zb8b4WU_qlzKbb5m5AyGuTzAbI-Q4jhNMq0xqyoTBCeLFWjwzXodGUhOQM8LC79Qzu6JS8hN_Rngz6pXP33prYSYTpoiB2-/s72-c/moms.jpg

Let Lent Begin

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Praying on Ash Wednesday
Latin Rite

Vegan Fare After Forgiveness Vespers
Eastern Byzantine Rite

In the Byzantine Rite of the Catholic Church, Lent has begun, as marked by Forgiveness Vespers today.  In the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, Lent begins this Wednesday, Ash Wednesday.  Since I have not posted a prayer lately, I thought I would highlight some that can pave our way into our Lenten practices.  I am so ready for Lent!!!


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Blue highlights are passages that went right to my soul when I posted this.

"Father, we thank you for revealing yourself to us in Jesus the Christ, we who once were not your people but whom you chose to adopt as your people. As ancient Israel confessed long ago, we realize that it was not because of our own righteousness, or our own superior wisdom, or strength, or power, or numbers. It was simply because you loved us, and chose to show us that love in Jesus.

As you have accepted us when we did not deserve your love, will you help us to accept those whom we find it hard to love? Forgive us, O Lord, for any attitude that we harbor that on any level sees ourselves as better or more righteous than others. Will you help us to remove the barriers of prejudice and to tear down the walls of bigotry, religious or social? O Lord, help us realize that the walls that we erect for others only form our own prisons!

Will you fill us so full of your love that there is no more room for intolerance? As you have forgiven us much, will you enable us with your strength to forgive others even more? Will you enable us through your abiding Presence among us, communally and individually, to live our lives in a manner worthy of the Name we bear?

May we, through your guidance and our faithful obedience, find new avenues in ways that we have not imagined of holding the Light of your love so that it may be a Light of revelation for all people.

We thank you for your love, praise you for your Gift, ask for your continued Presence with us, and bring these petitions in the name of your Son, who has truly revealed your heart. Amen." - http://www.crivoice.org/cyepiph.html

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And there are the seven penitential Psalms, which are expressive of sorrow for sin..

Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 142 [New American Bible Revised Edition]
 6, 31, 37, 51, 102, 129, and 142 [Septuagint Bible]

Let me print one here, Psalm 6.  I like the Septuagint version with the older English.  There is just something more visceral and soul tapping with that language.

1 O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath, neither chasten me in thine anger. 2 Pity me, O Lord; for I am weak: heal me, O Lord; for my bones are vexed. 3 My soul also is grievously vexed: but thou, O Lord, how long? 4 Return, O Lord, deliver my soul: save me for thy mercy’s sake. 5 For in death no man remembers thee: and who will give thee thanks in Hades? 6 I am wearied with my groaning; I shall wash my bed every night; I shall water my couch with tears. 7 Mine eye is troubled because of my wrath; I am worn out because of all my enemies.

8 Depart from me, all ye that work iniquity; for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. 9 The Lord has hearkened to my petition; the Lord has accepted my prayer. 10 Let all mine enemies be put to shame and sore troubled: let them be turned back and grievously put to shame speedily.


image - http://www.dodekanissaweb.gr/info/cleanmonday.html
http://catholicism.about.com/od/catholicliving/ig/Wordless-Wednesday-Gallery/Ash-Wednesday-2008.htm
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Former Abortionist Dr. John Bruchalski Now Heads ProLife Medical Practice

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Thanks be to God.  We have yet another pro-abortion doctor who has seen the Light.  Dr. John Bruchalski used to perform abortions but he eventually realized the horror of what he was doing  and converted to the ProLife paradigm.  With time, he also converted back to the Catholic religion of his youth.

He now heads up a pro-life medical practice which has a holistic flair.

Read about his story here and read about his practice here.  I love that he named his practice Tepeyac Family Center after the site in Mexico where Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared.  It is all part of his story.

Here are some quotes from the LifeSiteNews.com article about him:

“'How do you combine the best of modern medicine with the healing presence of Jesus Christ? That’s what we’re about,' he told LifeSiteNews."

“I was doing the abortions because I believed it was the lesser of two evils, ... yet I realized that people were just more broken after the procedure. There might have been a brief respite from the stress and strain, but most relationships broke up after the abortion.”

“The mercy of God was what truly penetrated my heart.”

"Guadalupe in Mexico City. He says there he heard Our Lady of Guadalupe - whom Catholics revere as the patroness of the unborn - ask him, 'Why are you hurting me?'”

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image - http://www.ncpd.org/webinars/prenatal
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Couple Aborts Their Twin Boys Because They Want A Girl

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 I understand that an Australian couple might miss their daughter who died, but no pain justifies them aborting their male twins because they would rather have a girl.  And now they want to use sex selection with In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) to get a girl.  My heart is heavy.

Let's hope they are denied sex selection in Australia, and that if they come to the US for it, they don't get it here either. And let's pray and hope that they have a conversion and realize the horror of their actions. 

The full article is here.

Dear God, have mercy on us.  We are playing with fire when we separate the procreative aspect of marriage from the unitive aspect.

Kathleen
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image - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7534720.stm
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Prayer For Consecration to Divine Mercy

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Jesus, the Divine Mercy,
 
I consecrate my entire life,
from this day on,
to You without reserve.
Into Your hands I abandon my
past, my present and my future,
from this day forward,
make me a true follower of Your
teaching,
let Your Divine Mercy Image,
protect my home and my family
from all the powers of evil in this
world today.

May all who venerate it never
perish, may it be their joy in life,
their hope in death, and their glory
in eternity.

Amen.

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I wish I could eat, sleep and drink St. Faustina's Diary, Divine Mercy In My Soul.  Every time I read parts of it, I draw closer to Jesus, and I don't mean in a generic sense.  I mean my one-on-one conversational relationship with Him deepens tremendously throughout my day. 

It can happen to you too.  You can read the Diary on-line here.  You can also find a one-page write up about St. Faustina herself, here.  I highly recommend both!

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prayer - http://www.eadmcanada.com/divine_consecration.html
image - http://www.ourladyoffatimarehab.org/Novena.html
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The Ant And The Grasshopper

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This story came my way the other day.  It is a Christian rendition of a fable attributed to Aesop.

The Ant And The Grasshopper

A mother of a 9 year old boy, Mark, received a phone call in the middle of the afternoon. It was the teacher from her son's school.

"Mrs. Smith, something unusual happened today in your son's third grade class. Your son did something that surprised me so much that I thought you should know about it immediately.""The ant works hard all summer and stores up plenty of food. But the grasshopper plays all summer and does no work.

Mother's seldom want to hear from their child's teacher in the middle of the day. The mother was uneasy and nervous by such a beginning to a phone call. "What now?" the mother wondered.

The teacher continued, "I have been teaching for many years and nothing like this has happened until now. This morning I was teaching a lesson on creative writing. And as I always do, I tell the story of the ant and the grasshopper.
Then winter comes. The grasshopper begins to starve because he has no food. So he hops to the ants house and begins to beg. 'Please Mr. Ant, you have much food, please let me eat, too.'

Now boys and girls your job is to write the ending to the story.

Your son, Mark, raised his hand. "Teacher, may I draw a picture?"

"Well, yes, Mark, if you like, you may draw a picture. But first you must write the ending to the story."

The papers came in. As in all the years past, most of the students said that the ant shared his food through the winter and both the ant and the grasshopper lived.

As always, a few children said, 'The ant said, "No, Mr. Grasshopper. You should have worked in the summer and not played. Now, I have just enough food for myself." So the ant lived and the grasshopper died.

But your son ended the story in a way different from any other child, ever. He wrote, "So the ant gave all of his food to the grasshopper; the grasshopper lived through the winter. But the ant died."

And the picture?

At the bottom of the page, Mark had drawn three crosses. "Jesus gave up his life so that we might live eternally."

After I got over my resentment about the grasshopper goofing off all summer, and feeling compassion for the thing, I am pretty sure I would rise above the situation and share.  But give everything?  I don't know if I would be able to give all my food to the grasshopper.  I'm not sure I would even think of it. 

Lord, have mercy.

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image - http://smartpei.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451db7969e2010535b9248b970b-800wi
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Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa

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I can't wait to go to Confession soon.  I have a few sins that are weighing heavily on my heart.

I can not wait to go before God, via the priest in persona Christi, to repent and do penance and have my slate wiped clean by God's mercy, so I can start all over and be strengthened with His grace to bring the Light of Jesus Christ to the rest of the world.  God is good.

If it has been awhile since you have gone to Confession, please consider going.  Not only will your sins be forgiven, if merited, but you will also receive grace to avoid them in the future.  And that heaviness in your heart?  It will be lifted, either right away or soon after.

Here is what Pope John Paul II had to say:

"Because of Christ's love and mercy, there is no sin that is too great to be forgiven; there is no sinner who will be rejected. Every person who repents will be received by Jesus Christ with forgiveness and immense love."

"And if today there is someone who is still hesitating, for one reason or another, please remember this: the person who knows how to acknowledge the truth of guilt, and asks Christ for forgiveness, enhances his own human dignity and manifests spiritual greatness."  -  Pope John Paul II, Ireland, September 29, 1979

For more information on Confessions, click here

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image - http://holygodblog.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/confession.jpg

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Have You Heard? St. Faustina's Diary

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Have you heard, or more accurately, have you read any of St. Faustina's Diary?  It is the messge of Divine Mercy.

I wish I could just be enveloped in it.  She is so close to Jesus.  When I read her writings, her loving thoughts and focus on God just infiltrate my being.  I have found myself talking to Jesus like she did.  It is heaven.  Here are some excerpts.

"In difficult moments I must take refuge in the Wounds of Jesus."  (I am right there with Him.)

"I must pay little attention to who is for me and who is against me."

"I must do everything and act in all matters now as I would like to do and act at the hour of my death."

"In every action I must be mindful of God."

"I will call to mind the Passion of Jesus at each confession, to arouse my heart to contrition."

"Before I approach the confessional, I shall first enter the open and most merciful Heart of the Savior."

And those are only from the one section I am reading right now.  There are so many more.  If you want to read the book, you may be able to find it at your local public library.  You can also buy it on-line.  Just do a search on "Diary of St. Faustina buy" and many options will appear.

Lord, have mercy.

Kathleen

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image - http://vultus.stblogs.org/1005Faustina%202.jpg
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