Picture of Mary

My Dad made this picture of Madonna & Child out of wood! It is truly remarkable - this picture does not do the craftsmanship justice.

The Madonna & Child are in the middle of the Jesse Tree. Below is a view of Jerusalem.

I thought you'd enjoy viewing.

The Role of the Blessed Virgin in our Lives

I received this information from 'Message of Merciful Love to Little Souls', a daily dialogue between a woman in Belgium and Jesus from 1965 - 1975.

(Imprimateur: Thomas Holland, Bishop of Salford, 14 May 1979; Cardinal Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, 13 March 1978).

Jesus:

Yes, Mary,

• Pure Jewel of My Heaven
• Mediatrix between Myself and men
• Channel by which My graces flow to the children of the earth.
• Mary, Shining Star, reigning over all the souls in Heaven and on earth

Do not disregard her power, for it is immense. It is through her that the spirit of evil will be vanquished. Judge, therefore, of the importance of prayer to Mary. Men's actions gain in value when they are done with her and through her. My heart is thrilled with joy when, with her maternal hands, she offers Me your gifts. If you know the heart of your gentle Mother better, you would be more appreciative of the gift of My love. Lover her, give yourself to her.

It is much more pleasing to Me to receive you from her hands. Can you conceive that I could reject you if she asks help and assistance for you? How sad for Me to see My Immaculate Mother so neglected, even in your churches. Render her the veneration due to her. She is My Mother and yours. Bond of union between us. I will be favorable to those who bear her true love, she who never ceases to pray for you.

She is the pillar of My Church. Nothing escapes her watchful gaze. She is terrible to the enemy. Trust yourselves to Mary. She will bring Me your sorrows, your cares, your joys. Have confidence in her. Lover her with the same love you have for Me. I shall not be jealous. And I gave her the care of leading you to her.

Jesus:
The bringing together of the peoples is desireable in so far as it does not injure the fundamental Truths of the Church. I will not suppress an iota of the devotion due to My holy Mother, evin if that should cause the suggested plan to fail. It is particularly painful for Me to note, in certain of My children, a want of love towards Mary. Know that he who loves Mary, loves Me too. Was I not formed in and nourished by this virginal flesh? Was it not in echo to her heart-beats that My Heart began to beat for you, My children? It is her 'fiat' that permitted the Redemption. It is she who was the first to love Me. Nothing is more pleasing to Me than the veneration of her maternal heart by your hearts. It is her herat which gave life to My humanity.

Jesus:
Be consoled my child, warm your heart at the flame of My Sacred Heart. Your knowledge of evil is limited. But as for Me, all the moral and physical distress which overwhelms humanity is revealed to Me. It is difficult to make myself loved. My Holy Mother stands between mankind and Me. Love her and pray to her with all our soul, for she is your Mother and she loves you with a love pediliction. Always remember it is she who put Me in your arms and gave you to Me.


(For more information regarding this book, write to: Pope Publications, PO Box 6161, San Rafael, CA 94903)

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection,
implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of Virgins, my Mother;
to you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful;
O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions,
but in your mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.

Feast Days

It was mentioned at my come-and-see week that before I officially enter my Novitiate (if I am accepted) I would have to submit 3 Feast Days with Saints and 3 Descriptors to add to the end of my name. Of these, the Vocation Director would decide which Feast Day and Descriptor I would take on with the Habit. The Descriptors are what my devotion is about - for instance, one of the Sisters has 'of the Cross' another, 'of the Most Holy Eucharist', and another 'of the Child Jesus'. (I will post on the descriptors at a future time).

At the Bible Study (Scott Hahn series about the Bible & the Sacraments) this past Sunday, one of the Sisters, who is also taking the course, mentioned that many Catholics are celebrating their Baptismal days rather than their Birthdays since this is the day we become adopted sons & daughters of God...fully adopted into God's family. This peaked my interest - so I decided to look into it.

What I discovered was further proof that Mary has a big role in my life. My Baptismal day is August 29th....there were many obscure Saints listed but one Saint leaped off the page.

Saint Hyperdulia


Saint Hyperdulia: The proper veneration that is reserved for the Blessed Virgin Mary, as the most exalted of all human beings and all creatures.


Second Exodus explains:

'The special veneration due to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Vatican II's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church states: “The various forms of piety towards the Mother of God, which the Church has approved within the limits of sound and orthodox doctrine, according to the dispositions and understanding of the faithful, ensure that while the mother is honored, the Son through whom all things have their being Col 1:15-16 and in whom it has pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell Col 1:19 is rightly known, loved and glorified and his commandments are observed.”'


There are three levels of reverence that we in this life offer. Latria (worship) is reserved for God alone. Hyperdulia is reserved for the Blessed Virgin. Dulia (veneration) is reserved for all the rest of the heavenly host, including the angels and saints.



There are many signs that Mary has been beside me from the beginning...some of which I have already posted. I am unsure what God has in store for me or why Mary has been so intricately woven into my life, but I am not here to know....I am here to serve.

Since my return to the Faith, one of the few prayers that I have for myself is: whatever I am supposed to do here on earth, God will prepare me to carry out His will. Teach me what I need to learn. Help me to remember that which I will need. When the time comes, give me the strength, fortitude, tenacity, and courage to fulfill God's plan...with Mary beside me all the way.

What's in a Name?

Lillian Marie. My two middle names. My given middle name is Marie, a form of Mary. It is the name of my Grandmother, who was born on the Feast of the Assumption, and Mary, our Heavenly Mother, both of whom I am named after. (I was born on the Eve of the Feast of the Assumption).

Lillian. Well, there's a story behind that name.
(For those of you who know me...of course there's a story! LOL)

I went to public school through most of my elementary/middle school years. I attended CCD (now known as PSR) and Confirmation in our Diocese was celebrated in 8th grade, so we were not studying the Sacrament yet. I made it through a little over half of 7th grade when my family moved to another state. There, I attended a Catholic School. However, Confirmation was celebrated in 11th grade. Great!...I expected to stay in this state & school system through my 12th grade.

Uhm...big problem. We moved again after I finished 9th grade. We finally landed in Ohio, where I finished my high school years. However, here, Confirmation was received in 6th grade...and I was in 10th! Yikes!

Since we attended Catholic Schools, the actual Confirmation instruction was given in the 6th grade religion class. So, little instruction, with the exception of one brief overview session, was given to my brother and I, both of whom were above 6th grade. All I remember was people asking me if I picked a name and who my sponsor was. It seemed every week, 'Did you pick a name yet?' 'Which name did you pick?' 'Who is your sponsor?' 'Have you decided on a name?'

Okay, I should have asked some questions, but I didn't.
(I was a teenager...I thought I knew it all - hah! was I wrong!)
Dad, I think mom just fainted....I admitted I was wrong.

Name, name...which name? I went through old school pictures, looking at kids that I liked back then (maybe not the best choice). I tried to remember friends that I had when I was younger and their names...nothing seemed right. Then I went through names of relatives... somehow I just couldn't see picking the name Gertrude, my grandmother's name. We always used to call her Dirty Gerty and it just didn't have the same effect, especially for a Sacrament. Ethyl May?...nope! Dolly?...I think not. It never occurred to me to look up a Saint's name! (Doh!)

I could not come up with any names that I liked. So I went to the best source I could think of (remember, I was a teenager)...Harlequin Romances!

Yep! Found the name...Fleur! Loved it! (I also like the character, which helped solidify my decision) - okay, again, maybe not the best way to pick a name for Confirmation...but hey, I had a name (waiting for the jolt of lightning to come down from the sky - any minute now).

Now for my sponsor. My grandmother, Mary!
Our birthdays were just one day apart...and, after all, I was named after her.

Well, there you have it....Name: Fleur. Sponsor: my grandmother.

Although, I must confess, I did receive some strange looks when I told people my chosen name. But hey, it was French, what did they know? And...I thought I was cool picking a French name...and only I knew where I got the name (well, until now, that is).


Confirmation: God certainly has a way of revealing HIS plan!


I had proudly handed in my name, on an index card no less, a week before we were to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.

The day of the Ceremony, the Mass began and I was proud as a peacock...until I looked around at the rest of the class and they were all 2 feet shorter than I was (uhm...feeling just a bit out of place). This sea of 6th graders, then there was me and my brother ... we stuck out like sore thumbs! But then I saw my boyfriend, D., and everything was okay. He came! I was elated!

We slowly filed down the aisle toward The Bishop. Yes, THE Bishop of our Diocese...he actually made it down to our little hick-town, cow-country...lots of corn...and the 'fresh country air'. I remember being impressed that OUR Bishop was there.

As the boy in front of me walked up to the Bishop to receive the Sacrament, the lady beside me was trying desperately to pronounce the name I had written on the card. Fleer? No Fleur. Flur? No, Fleur! Flir? Exasperated, I blurted out 'Lillian!' and probably a bit too loud. (I thought I heard a thud in the back of the Church ... it was the jaws of my family dropping on the floor!)

She announced to the Bishop, 'I present to you Lillian'.

I have NO CLUE where that name came from...it just popped into my head. I did not know of ANY Lillian's...nor do I remember having any friends or reading of any Lillians. But there it was...my Confirmation name...Lillian.

Okay, NOW I have a clue. The Holy Spirit and Mary definitely took care of the heinous mistake I was about to make by having my Confirmation name from a Harlequin Romance book. (My family is still scratching their heads on that one!)

And there you have it... Lillian Marie. (maybe this is why God has not granted me any children!) lol